Much has been written about stomach surgery for reducing weight and preventing or treating Type 2 diabetes. Researchers at the University of Rome have found more good news. Their investigation reported in the medical journal Obesity Surgery in November of 2016, linked sleeve gastrectomy, a surgical procedure created as an aid for
People who underwent the procedure achieved not only the expected amount of
Sleeve gastrectomy involves cutting away about 75 to 85 percent of the stomach. The result is a much thinner tube that resembles a sleeve. A feeling of early fullness makes it easy to follow a low-calorie diet. The procedure also lowers the release of ghrelin, the hunger hormone. The process can be carried out laparoscopically, with only six incisions into the abdomen. The surgeon can view the stomach through a laparoscope, a long metal instrument with a light on the end. Making six small cuts instead of one large one minimizes recovery time, blood loss, and scarring. None of the intestines is removed or bypassed, so absorption of nutrients is the same.
As with any surgical procedure, there are risks...
- bleeding, blood clots, and infection,
- the leakage of stomach contents into the abdominal cavity,
- nausea, which can be permanent if there is damage to the vagal nerve,
- vomiting,
- a delay in emptying the stomach contents into the small intestine,
- spasm and pain above the stomach,
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), with sharp chest pain.
- a fast heart beat.
In July of 2016, the journal Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases reported on a bariatric (