Denver Health bariatric surgeons also offer vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Similar to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, this surgery restricts the amount of food that can be eaten by creating a small stomach pouch. Unlike the Roux-en-Y procedure, it does not change how the stomach attaches to the small intestines.
The Gastric Sleeve Procedure
During the minimally invasive gastric sleeve procedure, surgeons create five to six small (1 centimeter) incisions for their long surgical instruments and use a video telescope for close-up viewing. About 75 percent of the stomach is removed to create a long “sleeve”-shaped stomach. Following surgery, patients can only eat very small amounts of food at one time and will feel full for several hours, therefore limiting the amount of calories consumed.
Each patient will work with the bariatric surgeon to determine what surgery (Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass or Sleeve Gastrectomy) and what approach (laparoscopic or open) is best for the individual situation.