Vertical sleeve gastrectomy

Alternative Names: Gastrectomy - sleeve; Gastrectomy - greater curvature; Gastrectomy - parietal; Gastric reduction; Vertical gastroplasty

Vertical sleeve gastrectomy is surgery to help with weight loss. The surgeon removes a large portion of your stomach.

The new, smaller stomach is about the size of a banana. It limits the amount of food you can eat by making you feel full after eating small amounts of food.

See also:

• Gastric bypass surgery
• Laparoscopic gastric banding
• Obesity

Description of Procedure

You will receive general anesthesia before this surgery. This will make you asleep and pain-free.

The surgery is usually done using a tiny camera that is placed in your belly. This type of surgery is called laparoscopy. The camera is called a laparoscope. It allows your surgeon to see inside your belly.

In this surgery:

• Your surgeon will make 2 to 5 small cuts in your abdomen.
• The surgeon will pass the laparoscope and the instruments needed to perform the surgery through these openings.
• The camera is connected to a video monitor in the operating room. Your surgeon will look at the monitor to see inside your belly.
• Your surgeon will insert thin surgical instruments through the other openings.

Your surgeon will remove most (about 80 - 85%) your stomach.

• The remaining portions of your stomach are joined together using staples. This creates a long vertical tube or banana-shaped stomach.
• The surgery does not involve cutting or changing the sphincter muscles that allow food to enter or leave the stomach
• Your surgery may take only 60 - 90 minutes if your surgeon has done many of these procedures.

When you eat after having this surgery, the small pouch will fill up quickly. You will feel full after eating just a very small amount of food.

Weight-loss surgery may increase your risk for gallstones. Your doctor may recommend having a cholecystectomy (surgery to remove your gallbladder) before your surgery or at the same time.

Risks of Vertical sleeve gastrectomy

Risks for any anesthesia are:

• Allergic reactions to medicines
• Breathing problems

Risks for any surgery are:

• Blood clots in the legs that may travel to your lungs
• Blood loss
• Heart attack or stroke during surgery
• Infection, including in the surgical cut, lungs (pneumonia), or bladder or kidney

Risks for vertical sleeve gastrectomy are:

• Gastritis (inflamed stomach lining), heartburn, or stomach ulcers
• Injury to your stomach, intestines, or other organs during surgery
• Leaking from the line where parts of the stomach have been stapled together
• Poor nutrition, although much less than with gastric bypass surgery
• Scarring inside your belly that could lead to a blockage in your bowel in the future
• Vomiting from eating more than your stomach pouch can hold

Review Date: 1/26/2011
Reviewed By: Shabir Bhimji, MD, PhD, Specializing in General Surgery, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Midland, TX. Review Provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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