Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery & Bariatric Care

In this procedure the surgeon removes approximately 75 percent of your stomach, leaving a narrow, sleeve-shaped portion that is closed with staples and stitches. The smaller stomach restricts the amount of food you can eat before you feel full. It also reduces the amount of ghrelin, a hormone that makes you feel hungry, produced by your stomach. Since there is no rerouting of the digestive tract, the absorption of nutrients is not restricted.

Advantages:

• A shorter procedure time than gastric bypass.
• No adjustments are needed after surgery.
• Most patients find their hunger is significantly reduced.
• Weight loss approaches the amount seen with gastric bypass and is generally greater than adjustable gastric banding.

Cautions:

• Unlike gastric banding, this procedure is not reversible.
• Complications include the possibility of leaks, bleeding, blood clots, infection and a narrowing of the sleeve that may require an endoscopic procedure or conversion to another operation.

Read more about our medical weight loss program and our other surgical options for weight loss.