How Does Sleeve Gastrectomy Work?
During the sleeve gastrectomy operation, the surgeon staples off the stomach to form a long tube similar in shape to a banana. Depending on the surgeon performing the procedure, the tube holds between 60cc and 150 cc of food and liquids. The surgeon removes the unused section of stomach. Because this part of the stomach normally produces the hunger hormone ghrelin, most patients find their appetite greatly reduced and no longer have issues with uncontrollable hunger. The inelastic wall of the remaining stomach resists stretching and maintains its reduced capacity during food ingestion. Additionally, the narrow diameter of the tube creates greater resistance to food traveling through it. This resistance slows the rate of emptying so the patient feels full longer (satiety). The combination of smaller capacity, reduced hunger, and longer satiety produces weight loss that compares to LAP-BAND surgery. Some studies indicate that long term results are superior to LAP-BAND and approach those
