Gastric Bypass Vs. Gastric Sleeve: Which Is Right for Me?

Choosing between two of the most popular weight loss procedures requires a careful look at what each one offers. Gastric bypass and gastric sleeve surgery can provide significant, life-changing results for overweight and obese patients. During your initial consultation with an experienced bariatric surgeon, he or she can tell you more about which option is ideal for you. In the meantime, here are some of the differences between gastric sleeve surgery and gastric bypass:

Gastric Sleeve: Also known as vertical sleeve gastrectomy, this procedure reduces the size of the stomach to limit the amount of food you can comfortably consume and removes the portion of stomach that makes Ghrelin, a hunger hormone. There is no surgery performed on the small intestine. Gastric sleeve has the advantage of significant weight loss with lower overall risk of complications and nutritional deficiencies over gastric bypass. Sleeve gastrectomy also leaves other surgical options for the future if you should need it.

Gastric Bypass: Also known as Roux-en-Y surgery, gastric bypass is performed by making a small pouch out of the top part of the stomach. Next, the far part of the small intestine is connected to the pouch. This functionally bypasses the stomach and the beginning of the small intestine. This allows for restriction, a modest amount of malabsorption, and significant changes in gut physiology to achieve weight loss. Weight loss with gastric bypass is typically greater in the first year as compared to sleeve gastrectomy, and reversal of type II diabetes occurs more rapidly than sleeve. That said, it’s a more involved procedure and requires a more strict dietary and vitamin intake then sleeve gastrectomy.

There is no “BEST” operation; however, there are pros and cons to each surgery. There are multiple options for surgical weight loss to achieve your weight loss goals and improve your health. For a detailed explanation of each procedure and more insight into which surgery may suit you, it is best to make an appointment with a bariatric surgeon to discuss each option.