What is gastric laparoscopy and how is it performed?

One of the types of laparoscopy is gastric laparoscopy, in which surgical instruments are inserted into the body through the abdomen and making 5 to 6 small incisions. During this procedure, the surgeon separates the upper part of the stomach to create a small gastric pouch. This small bag limits food consumption and as a result, a person will lose weight by consuming fewer calories. Gastric laparoscopy is recommended for whom? The general recipe for losing weight is to have a slimming diet, increase physical activity and take slimming pills such as L-carnitine.

In cases where these solutions do not work, you can go for surgery. Stay with us to provide you with more information.

What is gastric laparoscopy?

Gastric laparoscopy is an ideal way to lose weight for people who are overweight. By performing this operation, food consumption is limited and its absorption is reduced because a large part of the stomach is removed by the doctor and a small stomach bag will replace it. Not everyone has the option to do this to lose weight. Usually, if the obesity is very high and the person does not get an answer from other methods, he goes for this operation. Note that gastric laparoscopy is different from gastric sleeve operation.

How is gastric laparoscopy performed?

To perform gastric laparoscopy, the surgeon uses cannulas (narrow tube-like devices) to enter the abdomen and make incisions. The laparoscope, which is connected to a small video camera, is inserted into the abdomen and displays an image on a monitor that shows the surgeon a large view of the stomach and other internal organs.

In this procedure, 5 to 6 small incisions are made on the abdomen. By removing part of the stomach, the surgeon creates a small gastric pouch. The output of the new gastric pouch is emptied towards the lower part of the small intestine, and in this way, few calories will be absorbed. The small new stomach pouch limits food intake and causes food to pass through less of the stomach and duodenum. In this case, the amount of calories and absorption of food will be reduced and it will help to lose weight.

The whole procedure is done inside the abdomen after expanding the abdomen with carbon dioxide gas (CO2). After the operation, the gas will be released. During gastric laparoscopy, the person will be unconscious and will not feel pain.

• Gastric laparoscopy usually takes between 45 minutes and 1 hour.

Who are the candidates for gastric laparoscopy for weight loss?

Doctors may recommend gastric laparoscopy for weight loss considering the following:

• A person’s overweight should be more than 45 kg.
• The person should not have any kind of metabolic or hormonal problem.
• A candidate for gastric laparoscopy must have physical, mental, social, and other problems due to obesity, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, arthritis, etc.
• The patient must agree to be under the care of a specialist doctor for many years.
• The person’s attempt to lose weight through other methods such as dieting in the past must have been unsuccessful.

Necessary measures before gastric laparoscopy for weight loss

• Checkup by a doctor to know if you are a candidate for gastric laparoscopy or not.
• Blood tests are necessary to check the health status of the body.
• A referral to a psychiatrist may be necessary to assess the patient’s ability to adapt to post-operative changes.
• Depending on the individual’s health conditions, it may be necessary to consult a heart or lung specialist.
• Written consent to perform surgery after considering possible risks
• One day before the surgery, the person’s diet should include a diet of clear liquids.
• The colon must be completely emptied before surgery.
• It is better to take a shower the night before the operation or early in the morning before the operation.
• You should not eat or drink anything the night before the operation; Of course, except for the drugs prescribed by the doctor.
• Medications such as aspirin, blood thinners, anti-inflammatory drugs, and vitamin E should be temporarily restricted for a few days to a week before surgery.
• Dietary drugs should not be used 2 weeks before the operation.
• Quit smoking and ask someone to stay with you and take care of you for a few days after the operation.

How much is weight loss with gastric laparoscopy?

Most people lose between 40 and 50% of their weight in the first 2 years after gastric laparoscopy. If the person’s BMI (body mass index) is 60 before the operation, he may lose even more than 50 kg. However, other factors are involved in determining weight loss with laparoscopy because the health status and body of people are different from each other.

Necessary measures after gastric laparoscopy

You will probably be discharged from the hospital on the same day as the surgery. Most people can resume their normal activities 1 or 2 days after returning home. If you are employed, you should probably take about 1 week off. 2 to 3 weeks after the surgery, the person should consume liquids and mashed foods. First, soft foods and then normal foods should be added to the diet. 6 weeks after surgery, you can probably eat normal foods again.

What are the complications or disadvantages of gastric laparoscopy?

There may be complications in any operation. Gastric laparoscopy for weight loss is generally considered a safe procedure. There is a 10% chance that some people will experience the following complications after this procedure:

• wound infection
• Abscess
• Intestinal perforation
• leakage
• Ileus
• Lung problems
• Blood clots in the veins

In some rare cases, there may be a need for re-surgery after gastric laparoscopy. For example, if you have a distended stomach, constant vomiting, heartburn, or lack of weight loss. Other changes that may occur include the following:

• Lack of iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid and as a result anemia (to solve this problem, it is better to use multivitamins or iron pills.)
• Dumping syndrome, which occurs due to high consumption of sugar or food and is accompanied by abdominal pain, muscle cramps, sweating and diarrhea.
• Protein deficiency

After gastric laparoscopy, if problems occur with the digestive system, the duodenum and parts of the small intestine can be easily visualized using X-rays or endoscopy are not visible

Final speech

Stomach laparoscopy is not very painful, and a person can easily resume their normal activities in a short period of time after the operation. In many cases, by performing this procedure, people can lose more than 50% of their previous weight and keep it stable. We have explained the advantages and disadvantages of this practice for you in this article. In order to prevent the lack of vitamins and minerals after this operation, it is better to use multivitamins and food supplements under the supervision of a doctor.