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A lap sleeve gastrectomy, or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, is a surgical procedure to diminish the stomach's food capacity. Doctors sometimes use this technique as part of a weight loss solution for seriously overweight individuals.
The Facts
According to the nonprofit information resource Main Line Health, a lap sleeve gastrectomy creates a smaller stomach, roughly the size of a banana. Doctors also refer to the procedure as a vertical sleeve gastrectomy.
Technique
A laparoscopic surgical procedure involves the use of a laparoscope---a thin, flexible tube with a miniature camera mounted on its far end---inserted through a small abdominal incision. This allows surgeons to observe their work on an external viewing monitor.
Uses
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, doctors typically consider sleeve gastrectomy for patients at least 100 pounds overweight, or with a serious medical condition worsened by excess weight.
Additional Procedures
For some individuals, sleeve gastrectomy marks the first part of a more extensive weight loss procedure---biliopancreatic diversion with a duodenal switch (BPD-DS)---according to the Weight-control Information Network (WIN).
Considerations
Unlike Lap-Band weight loss surgery, sleeve gastrectomy permanently alters stomach size, the WIN website says.
Source:
Main Line Health: Lap Sleeve Gastrectomy
U.S. National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health: Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
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