Sleeve Reconstruction Surgery also known as Re-Sleeve and Revision Surgery
Dr. Wilhelmy and Mexicali Bariatric Center specialize in Sleeve Reconstruction Surgery
Sleeve reconstruction surgery in Mexico provided by the most experienced bariatric team
One of the most popular and safest procedures for patients who want to lose weight is the vertical sleeve gastrectomy also referred to as gastric sleeve. Dr. Esquerra and Dr. Rodolfo Wilhelmy with over 8,000 weight loss surgeries have enabled patients to successfully lose weight and keep it off.
This restrictive procedure, consists of vertical gastrectomy including the curvature of the stomach. The surgery is performed laparoscopically under general anesthesia. Once Dr. Esquerra and Dr. Rodolfo Wilhelmy, segment the stomach, the stapler is applied alongside this segmentation strictly positioned against the minor curve to avoid stenosis and to obtain a narrow gastric tube. Stapling is followed applying traction on the fundus and antrum avoiding stapling too close to the pylorus, this is important mainly to prevent the antral pumping mechanism to be weakened, resulting in poor emptying of the antrum responsible for nausea.
Later, the curvature, including all of the fundus and most of the corpus and antrum, is resected from the antrum. At the end of the procedure, different tests are performed by Dr.Esquerra and Dr. Wilhelmy, primarily to rule out staple line leaks and sleeve obstruction.
Unfortunately, not all patients have the expected results with the sleeve: One of the most common reasons for this is an effective technique used by the surgeon at the time of constructing the sleeve. Not all sleeves are made the same so not all sleeve surgeries result in the expected weight loss. The most common reasons for not using a proper technique in making the sleeve include:
- Lack of skill
- Trying to keep costs of materials low (staples, mainly)
- Trying to keep time to a minimum to save money
Surgeons at Mexicali Bariatric Center specialize in revision surgeries, sleeve reconstruction is among the most commonly performed.
Sleeve reconstruction surgery refers to a secondary procedure performed when the first gastric sleeve has failed to achieve the expected weight loss results when it is generally caused by a poor construction at the time of the surge, hence the term reconstruction. This differs from a re-sleeve that involves a sleeve that may have naturally stretched over time or a patient that may regain the lost weight due to poor eating habits or not following the surgeon’s postoperative instructions. A sleeve reconstruction entails essentially remaking the sleeve with a more efficient technique to reach the expected weight loss goals.
Over the years, surgeons at Mexicali Bariatric Center have found that many patients that approach the center with a failed sleeve never had a good tool to work with. It is common to find sleeves with an excessively big fundus or antrum or in some cases an overall too large sleeve. In such cases, Dr. Esquerra and Dr. Wilhelmy will reconstruct the sleeve to make it uniformly narrower thus giving patients a better tool to work with to achieve expected results.
A barium swallow x ray is the best way to determine if the sleeve was efficiently constructed to star with and if a reconstruction is an option for achieving significant results. Nevertheless there are some symptoms that can indicate the possibility of needing a sleeve reconstruction. These include the following:
- Eating large amounts of food to soon after surgery and thereafter
- Not feeling restriction from the sleeve
- Not losing a significant amount of weight vs someone who loses and regains
Sleeve Reconstruction is a solution with great advantages in terms of quality of life for obese patients, without the need of converting to a malabsorptive procedure and permitting the achievement of desired weight lost.
Keep in mind that sleeve reconstruction is a riskier procedure than a first time sleeve that requires the experience of revision specialists to keep risks low and have the best long term results, such as the surgeons at Mexicali Bariatric Center located the inside the prestigious Almater Hospital in Mexicali, Mexico.