Method
Roughly 80% of the stomach is removed.
Sleeve gastrectomy is performed laparoscopically, under general anaesthesia. Below is what happens, what does not, and what carries risk.
What happens in surgery
A camera and instruments enter through several small incisions in the abdominal wall. The stomach is divided vertically, leaving a banana-sized, tube-shaped section. The removed portion cannot be put back — this is an irreversible operation.
A smaller stomach means you feel full on less food. But the effect is not only about volume: the removed region produces most of the hunger hormone ghrelin, so the sensation of hunger itself is reduced.
The intestinal route is unchanged
This is the difference from gastric bypass. In sleeve gastrectomy the intestines are not rerouted; food follows the same path as before. That reduces malabsorption problems and keeps the operation technically shorter.
In return, reducing the stomach does not on its own guarantee weight loss. What determines the outcome is the two years afterwards — eating pattern, protein intake, vitamin monitoring and regular review.
Who it is not suitable for
Eligibility is assessed from body mass index, accompanying conditions, previous abdominal surgery and psychiatric evaluation together. It is not decided from a single number.
The purpose of the first consultation is not to persuade you into surgery; it is to establish whether you are a candidate. If you are not, you will be told so.
Risks
Sleeve gastrectomy is major surgery and, like any major surgery, it carries risk. The principal ones are: leakage from the staple line, bleeding, blood clots, stricture, and — over the longer term — reflux and vitamin deficiency.
None of these risks is zero. Treat any clinic that tells you otherwise with caution.
This clinic's own complication rates will be published here once received in writing from the clinic.