GASTRIC SLEEVE SURGERY

• Gastric sleeve surgery involves removing a portion of the stomach, leaving a sleeve of stomach about the size of a banana behind. Because the stomach is small, a person feels full with less food. The person also feels less hungry because the section of stomach removed produces ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite. People who have this surgery will, on average, lose up to 70 per cent of their excess weight.

• Gastric-sleeve surgery is done laparoscopically, using small incisions with the aid of a camera.