Why is it called vertical sleeve?

[lilac lass 34]

HI,

I have done research on this topic like the rest of you but the one thing I haven't found is why is it call vertical sleeve procedure? Has anyone heard?

[BeGuiled 36]

Because it is not a side ways stomach sleeve, *smiling*

[BeGuiled 36]

lilac lass, the cuts are made vertically, down the stomach, they remove the back or left side vertical of your present stomach leaving a vertical pouch.

[softwsolu1 8]

Lilac,

Imagine your gastrointestinal system as a tube. food enters through the esophagus, travels down into the stomach (which in addition to the tube section, has a pouch off to the side for holding surplus food), and enters into the intestines at after that.

The VSG removes the pouch section but leaves the tube section alone. food now travels directly down the tube and does not have a pouch off to the side to slide into any more. Hence "vertical" sleeve - the cut is made lengthwise.

I think it's probably also to help distinguish from the fact that the GI tract has not been disconnected and reconnected - the tract itself remains intact, it's just the excess stretchy stomach tissue that has been cut away.

[enigmachik 403]

Because there are other types of partial gastrectomies that remove either the top or bottom half of the stomach (like in the case of stomach cancer/ulcers/etc), the VSG is different in that the cut is made vertically to remove part of the stomach as opposed to horizontally.

[lilac lass 34]

Thanks for your answers!