The developments in the field of health in recent years, the expertise of doctors and health personnel, the state-of-the-art medical equipment used in hospitals, and many other reasons have made Turkey one of the favorite countries of health tourism. Considering all these factors, it can be said that it is safe to have gastric sleeve surgery in Turkey.
What is Gastric Sleeve Surgery?
Within the scope of gastric sleeve surgery, which is frequently applied by those who cannot achieve the desired weight loss despite a correct diet and exercise program, the volume of the patient’s stomach is reduced, and the patient is provided with a feeling of satiety by consuming less food.
In order to reduce the stomach volume within the scope of gastric sleeve surgery, the part of the stomach that has the most stretching and enlargement feature and manages the appetite is surgically removed. The stomach remains about the size of a banana. The task of the hormone Ghrelin, which is secreted by the part removed from the stomach during surgery, is to control appetite. The abdominal cavity is entered through minimal incisions made within the scope of gastric sleeve surgery, which is applied with the tube laparoscopic technique, and the procedure is performed.
Is Gastric Sleeve Surgery Suitable for Anyone Who Is Overweight?
Not everyone with excess weight can have gastric sleeve surgery. Patients who will undergo gastric sleeve surgery must meet certain conditions. One of them is that the patient is between 18 and 65 years old. If it is deemed necessary for the patient, gastric sleeve surgery may be considered for patients over 65 years of age. The body mass index of patients who will have sleeve gastrectomy surgery should be over 40. Gastric sleeve surgery can also be performed on patients with a body mass index between 35 and 40 but with secondary diseases such as obesity-related diabetes and hypertension. In addition, the patient should not have a health problem that prevents them from being administered anesthesia. Other issues to be considered include the fact that patients who will undergo gastric sleeve surgery should not have untreated psychiatric problems, have realistic expectations about the results to be obtained after the surgery, and make some lifestyle changes after the surgery.
Who Cannot Have Gastric Sleeve Surgery?
Gastric sleeve surgery is not performed if the patient demands weight loss for cosmetic purposes, the patient’s body mass is not within the desired ranges, the patient has a health problem that prevents the operation, and the patient does not pay attention to the nutrition and the necessity of regular exercise in the post-operative period.
How is Gastric Sleeve Surgery Performed?
Gastric sleeve surgery allows the patient to reduce the stomach volume, limit the amount of food and calorie intake that they can consume at once. It is among the most commonly used bariatric surgery procedures. Gastric sleeve surgery is started from the part of the stomach called the “Antrum”. An average of 85% is cut and removed along the staple line ending at the proximal sense angle. The new appearance of the stomach, whose capacity has been reduced to a maximum of 100 ml, resembles a sleeve.
To perform the surgery, a small incision is made in the patient’s abdominal wall using the laparoscopic method. Since there is no open surgical incision, the recovery time of the patient is shortened and the risk of surgical infection is reduced.
Gastric sleeve surgery is an effective method that provides dramatic weight loss even in cases of severe obesity. In addition, the integrity of the sphincter muscles around the gastric valve is preserved during the procedure. Thus, the separation in the stomach and esophagus is preserved. For this reason, gastric sleeve surgery stands out as a more advantageous procedure compared to other bariatric surgery procedures.
Does the Stomach Enlarge Again After Gastric Sleeve Surgery?
Gastric sleeve surgery, which is performed under general anesthesia and with laparoscopic technique, is considered to be a highly reliable procedure compared to other surgical procedures. Gastric sleeve surgery has advantages such as having less risk of complications and providing permanent weight loss for much longer periods compared to applications such as gastric band.
After gastric sleeve surgery, patients are kept under observation in the hospital for a few days, and they are discharged at the end of this period if there is no problem. Although the volume of the stomach is reduced to an average of 100 ml with the removal of 80% to 85% of the stomach during gastric sleeve surgery, there may be a slight increase in gastric capacity after the surgery. If the patient does not consume food in accordance with the doctor’s recommendations, an undesirable situation such as overgrowth of the stomach may occur. In order to obtain optimum benefit from the post-operative procedure, doctor’s recommendations should be followed in all matters, especially nutrition.
