The gastric sleeve, which is often also referred to as the vertical sleeve gastrectomy or simply the sleeve gastrectomy, has been performed for several years and bariatric surgeons frequently carry out the procedure as the first procedure in a two part weight loss process.

For patients who are severely obese with a BMI greater than 60 traditional gastric bypass surgery, such as the roux-en-y, carries unacceptably high risks as a result of which the gastric sleeve is performed as this procedure can usually be performed laparoscopically with a minimum of risk. Then, once you have lost sufficient weight, a second procedure such as classical gastric bypass surgery may be done.

In recent years however the view of the vertical sleeve gastrecomy has altered and it is now being used increasingly as a stand-alone procedure which can by itself produce results which are similar to those seen with lap band surgery.

For those who are afraid of lap band surgery because of concerns about having a foreign body implanted into their abdomen, the gastric sleeve can be an appealing alternative. Similarly, it also presents an alternative for people who are concerned about possible long-term side effects of gastric bypass surgery such as anemia, intestinal obstruction, ulcers and vitamin and protein deficiency to name just some.

Yet another group of individuals for whom the gastric sleeve can be a life-saver are those people with a current medical condition which rules out traditional obesity surgery. Patients for example with Crohn's disease, anemia, Lupus and a whole variety of other medical conditions.

The sleeve gastrectomy is a purely restrictive as opposed to a malabsorption operation which creates weight loss by controlling how much you can eat. As a restrictive form of surgery weight loss is slower than it would be with bypass surgery but you also avoid several of the side effects and complications linked to bypass surgery. Despite the fact that there is no long-term data currently available for the gastric sleeve as a stand-alone operation initial studies indicate that high BMI individuals (with a BMI of 50 to 60) should expect to lose around half of their excess weight in the year following surgery. This figure rises to more than two-thirds of excess weight for lower BMI individuals (with a BMI of 30 to 40).

In obesity surgery terms the sleeve gastrectomy fits in between gastric banding and the gastric bypass and can be a good option for people whose general health means that gastric bypass surgery is not recommended and for a lot of people it can create sufficient weight loss to make a very significant difference to their state of health and their lifestyle.