New gastric sleeve surgery New procedure helping patients shed pounds

San Antonio, TX

Weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, is big business these days. You've probably heard of gastric bypass and the LapBand procedure. Now, there is another method helping patient's drop pounds, and one San Antonio doctor is performing it through a single, tiny incision.

A patient at Innova Hospital in Southeast San Antonio is having what's called gastric sleeve surgery, which the doctor describes as an intermediate operation between LapBand and bypass.

"It's not quite as invasive as the gastric bypass in that there's no rearrangement of the anatomy. However, it's a little bit more invasive than the band in that we're excising a portion of the stomach," Dr. John Gonzales Jr. said.

Working through a single incision right at the belly button, the doctor inserts a camera and special tools. Then he cuts off the big, round part of the stomach, actually taking out about two-thirds to three-fourths of the organ. Dr. Gonzales leaves a small tube to hold food. Not only will the patient eat less, she'll feel less hungry.

"The major reason it works is by removing the fundus of the stomach, that sort of big, floppy portion, what you're also removing is a hormone called grehlin. And what we think grehlin is is one of the major hunger hormones," Gonzales said.

The procedure takes less than an hour and a half, and when it's over, there's no outward visible sign the patient has had surgery. The scar is hidden in the belly button. Gonzales is one of a handful of surgeons in the country performing the gastric sleeve surgery this way.

No weight loss is a cure-all. It's simply a tool to help patients cut their portions and eat less. Gastric sleeve is just one more option on the menu for people hungry for a drastic lifestyle change.

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