Sleeve gastrectomy

The sleeve gastrectomy is usually for patients with a BMI of more than 40.

It is a procedure that permanently removes part of the stomach, reducing its size by about 75%. The operation is not reversible and requires a hospital stay of one to three nights. The average weight loss is 30-50% of excess weight after 12 months.

(Source: Colquitt J, Clegg A, Sidhu M, Royle P, Surgery for morbid obesity. Oxford: The Cochrane Library 2004. No3.)