How does the Sleeve Gastrectomy operation work? - Obesity Surgery Guide


A popular method of obesity surgery is known as a sleeve gastrectomy. This procedure is performed under a general anaesthetic and involves the stomach being reduced in size by about 75-85% so it look more like a tube. This is designed to prevent you from eating more than a set amount of food whilst still allowing all the vitamins and minerals to be absorbed from the food. It is commonly believed that many patients who undergo a sleeve gastrectomy lose approximately 50-60% of the unwanted body weight. You should note that this procedure is permanent and therefore cannot be reversed once you have undergone it. Sometimes this procedure is employed as a way to lose weight so a patient has an appropriate BMI (body mass index) to undergo more invasive obesity surgeries later on. Common operations to reduce obesity that can be performed after the sleeve gastrectomy are a duodenal switch and a gastric bypass. It is important to lose weight prior to these surgical procedures as it lowers the risk of side effects and complications occurring.

The Procedure

The sleeve gastrectomy is done by a procedure commonly known as 'keyhole' surgery (this is more professionally called laparoscopic surgery). This method of surgery minimalizes scarring and usually only takes around one or two hours to complete.

Your surgeon will begin by making small incisions into the stomach wall, which are used to insert some hollow tubes. These tubes allow your surgeon to pass the laparoscope into the stomach so that they can observe exactly what they are doing. These tubes also act as a passage for the appropriate tools, which are used to cut the stomach from top to bottom. This portion is removed from the body and the remaining stomach is stapled together to form a 'sleeve'.

After your sleeve gastrectomy operation, you will be required to remain in hospital to be monitored for a few days. You will then be discharged and told to relax at home as you will not make a full recovery for the best part of a month.

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