Sleeve gastrectomy is a type of restrictive surgery that affects the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract amending its structure to evoke weight loss. The main goal of the surgery is to make the stomach smaller and in doing so limit food intake.

Sleeve gastrectomy is a surgical procedure performed inside the abdominal cavity of the patient. There are two different ways to open up the abdominal cavity. First, and more common, is the minimally invasive laparoscopic technique – several small incisions are made to insert instruments and a camera to guide the procedure. The second way to enter the abdominal cavity is open surgery – the stomach is accessed through the vertical incision in the patient’s abdominal wall. During the procedure about 80% of the stomach is removed* leaving a narrow “sleeve” looking tube, hence the name of the procedure. Surgical staples or sutures are used to close the loose ends of the stomach.The procedure permanently reduces the size of the stomach and decreases food intake without rearranging the other parts of the digestive system leaving your intestines intact.