What is it?
During a sleeve gastrectomy (also called gastric sleeve, vertical gastrectomy, restrictive vertical gastroplasty, or vertical sleeve gastrectomy) we divide the stomach vertically with a line of staples and remove a large portion of it. This is usually done using minimally invasive (laparoscopic) surgery. The remaining stomach is a long tube shaped like a very slender banana. It can hold between 1 and 5 ounces.
The surgery helps you lose weight by restricting the amount of food (and, therefore, calories) that can be eaten at one time. The part of the stomach that is removed secretes a hormone called ghrelin which is partly responsible for appetite and hunger. Due to the decreased amount of ghrelin, sleeve gastrectomy patients experience a loss or reduction in appetite. This loss of appetite induced by sleeve gastrectomy surgery helps them achieve weight loss.
The sleeve gastrectomy is a restrictive weight loss procedure.
Who Should Consider This Procedure?
The da Vinci robot allows us to make:
- Smaller incisions
- Fewer incisions
- More precise movements
This results in:
- Faster recovery
- Smaller scars
- Fewer scars
- Less pain
How is the procedure performed?
Internally, the robotic sleeve gastrectomy procedure is performed exactly the same way as a typical sleeve gastrectomy as animated below.
