What is the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy? (aka VSG or Sleeve)

VERTICAL SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY

The VSG is a restrictive only procedure meaning that it will limit the quantity of food you can consume at one time but you will not malabsorb nutrition or calories.

The VSG (aka Sleeve) is where your surgeon will surgically make your stomach smaller. Your stomach has an elastic portion called the fundus. The fundus of your stomach can hold 16 - 18 cups of food. Clearly, this is not a benefit to those trying to lose weight. In the sleeve procedure your surgeon will remove the outer curvature of your stomach leaving a small, banana shaped portion of your stomach.

Studies show that obese people tend to produce three times the amount of Ghrelin as a naturally thin person. Ghrelin is a hormone that is mostly (but not all) produced by the stomach and Ghrelin is what tells your brain that you are hungry. People with the sleeve tend to lose the majority of their hunger. Doctors are not in agreement if Ghrelin will return later in life. Quantities of food vary from surgeon to surgeon but theoretically when your sleeve matures in 4-6 months you should be able to eat about 3oz of solid, dense protein such as steak or about 6oz of soft foods such as cottage cheese.

There is a bit of history with the Sleeve procedure. It used to be part one of a two part procedure. Today it is used as a stand alone procedure. If someone has a very large BMI they are often times too high risk for a full Gastric Bypass or DS surgery. So traditionally surgeons have performed a sleeve procedure and sent the patient home to lose enough weight to make a riskier and longer procedure safer. Later they come back and have the malabsorption added to their surgery type. Today they are making smaller stomachs and not doing the malabsorption for those that merely want restriction alone. The procedure itself is NOT new, what is new are the weight loss statistics since it was previously used as part one of a two part surgery.

It should be noted that in 2013 the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy was the most performed weight loss surgery in the United States passing over the traditional gold standard, Gastric Bypass.

There is a chance of a vitamin B12 deficiency. Your stomach produces an enzyme called Intrinsic Factor or IF. IF is needed to absorb Vitamin B12 via the stomach. Some people produce less IF after surgery and they need to take Vitamin B12 under their tongue instead of swallowing a tablet.

Three advantages of this surgery:

1) Safest surgery LONG term of all WLS types
2) Drastic reduction in hunger due to removing the portion of the stomach that over produces Ghrelin
3) No maintenance, no aftercare

Three disadvantages of this surgery:

1) Not reversible
2) Less than 1% additional *surgical* risk over the Adjustable Band
3) Risk of B12 deficiency



Ron's phone  918 630 2970
Email:  RMortie@hotmail.com

Michelle phone 602 539 0970
Email: Bipley@gmail.com