How long have they be tracking the results of the sleeve.

Longer than you think. And I have to disagree with you. I've been working with bariatric patients for more than five years, and only a few of them were banded. The vast majority were GBP, until about three years ago when we started seeing more sleeves. Maybe it's a geographic thing?

I think the sleeve has been done for about ten years. let me check and I'll re-post.

Why did are we seeing more GS ?

Perhaps this will answer your question. [Dr. Schrope is at Columbia University Medical Center.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw3gQKtxuSc

Edited December 5, 201510 yr by WLSResources/ClothingExch

The VSG surgery is not new.

VSGs used to be done years ago as the first surgical procedure for very heavy patients who needed a gastric bypass, but weren't good medical risks for the more complicated gastric bypass operation. Doctors went in and did a sleeve, which helped a heavier patient lose enough weight and get healthy enough that he/she could qualify (medically) for a bypass.

And lo and behold, many of the patients did so well on the sleeve alone that they didn't need / want a bypass. After all, the sleeve doesn't have the big malabsorptive issues that bypasses do. And remember that bypasses are considered "the gold standard" of all WLS surgeries.

And thus "the sleeve" was added to the menu of WLS surgeries. (There are now nearly a dozen different WLS procedures, including mini-bypass, duodenal switch, etc. Google is your friend if you want to learn about all of the WLS procedures.)

And decades before all of this, VSG surgery was performed on people who had stomach illnesses that required removal of most of their stomachs due to terrible ulcers, stomach cancer, and other ailments. There's tons of research on those patients. Again, Google is your friend.

In fact, Google is always your friend. While you're there, check out all the more recent long-term studies of VSG success.

As you alluded to in your OP, the lapband has turned out to be problematic for many patients. The deal is that the lap band was never intended to become a permanent installation. If you know anything about medical devices, you know that foreign objects in the body often fail and cause problems. Again, Google is your friend.

I think that a good medical analogy for VSG surgery are surgeries done to remove tumors, bone spurs, cancers, gall bladders, appendix(es?), ovaries/uteruses, tonsils, etc. Although we may need to monitor the body thereafter or take some supplements, nothing artificial or mechanical is put into the body to replace those organs.

I also think that any sleeved patients who don't bother taking all their prescribed supplemental Vitamins, minerals, antacids, etc. or who don't get their annual blood panels done after having VSG surgery are not taking responsibility for their health.

VSGs used to be done years ago as the first surgical procedure for very heavy patients who needed a gastric bypass, but weren't good medical risks for the more complicated gastric bypass operation. Doctors went in and did a sleeve, which helped a heavier patient lose enough weight and get healthy enough that he/she could qualify (medically) for a bypass.

And lo and behold, many of the patients did so well on the sleeve alone that they didn't need / want a bypass.

Thanks for filling that in. I knew sleeve originally was part of a combination, but couldn't recall the companion procedure.

Something I saw very recently mentioned that the last word on sleeve is not yet in. It looks good thus far.

Nah, not the same at all.

Band wasn't really a great solution. Slow weight loss, and physical hunger didn't go away (which does during first 12-18 months VSG post op due to elimination of grellin (sp?) production. Plus, you gotta go see doc every month for adjustment (high on-going cost).

And, as compared to GBP, with VSG you don't have the malabsorption and other longer term problems.

Certainly, there will one day be some knew approach, but for now, I am told that for any 10 given WLS patients: 1-2 will be GBP, 2-3 may be BAND, but 6-8 will be VSG.

-RC-

They aren't even in the same ballpark.