Maybe the author needs some updated information. She says it is "typically" done on super obese people who are too heavy for other surgeries with the intent on doing another surgery later. She says that meals must be kept to 1/2 cup forever after, and a few other things that just sounded like she didn't really have good information on it.

What do you guys think?

http://surgery.about...GWLSSurgery.htm

well that kind of put me in a bummer considering I was not consider having to lose large amounts of weight....I hope she doesn't know what she's talking about!!!!!!!!!!!

The information in the article is old. VSG was initially done as part of a two-step procedure and she's right, it did help morbidly obese people lose enough weight to undergo another procedure. However, most of the rest of the information is wrong. For one, we don't have a "pouch", that's what bypass patients have, and you can't do a traditional Roux-en-Y bypass on a VSG stomach because there is not enough stomach to make a "pouch." It would be kind of a hybrid surgery, with a sleeve and a connection to the small intestine...kind of like...a Duodenal Switch!! which is the second half of the 2-part procedure that includes a VSG. She is wrong about the volume of the stomach (not 1 oz) and the amount a mature VSG stomach can hold. There are updated statistics about weight loss with the VSG that are better than what she relates.

Someone should update the entry or add a comment that the information is outdated and erroneous. Is About.com like Wiki, where anyone can add info?

No about.com is written by paid professionals. That's why I'm so surprised that the information is so off. There is a link to email the author on the page. I think we all should.

Yep, way old information. But, the VSG has been around for around 20 years as the first stage for patients weighing over 450lbs then they'll get the second stage RNY or DS malabsorptive component added. Before they started doing DS more and more, they were performing BPD but a lot of patients were dying, and severe complications were found with BPD. For the patients who were choosing RNY, the "sleeve" was made differently, and with bigger bougies, around a size 60fr instead of the standard 32-40fr.

<Cringe> I checked the date and the update is recent. Someone needs to take that down before someone is researching and gets the wrong information.

I agree the author's information is OUTDATED! I wonder why someone would write this without getting new and updated facts?

Even the sources that she produces at the end of her article are from 2008 and 2006 respectively...lots has changed since 2006 & 2008...sheesh!