Most who suffer from obesity find it impossible to lose weight despite their best efforts at living a healthy lifestyle. They may have an undiagnosed metabolic condition that is preventing them from losing weight through conventional methods. Most of these individuals will need some type of medical intervention to help them achieve sustainable weight loss, and some of them will choose to undergo bariatric surgery.
Gastric sleeve is the most common surgical procedure that is performed today in the United States, with over 160,000 done each year. Recently, a non-surgical procedure called endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty has gained FDA approval and provides similar results to gastric sleeve surgery, but it is done endoscopically and without incisions.
Today we are going to provide a comparison of endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty vs gastric sleeve surgery. We will compare the benefits of each procedure, including what is involved, how long each procedure takes, the recovery process, and what weight loss results you can expect.
How Do The ESG vs Gastric Sleeve Procedures Compare?
Gastric Sleeve
Gastric sleeve surgery takes between 1 to 2 hours to complete and is done under general anesthesia. It involves permanently removing about 80% of the person’s stomach and forming a smaller, tube-shaped pouch using surgical staples. The surgeon makes 4 to 5 small incisions in the abdomen to insert medical instruments and a special tool called a laparoscope. This tool allows the surgeon to use a live video feed to help them perform the procedure with precision.
After the surgery and the incisions are closed, patients have to stay in the hospital for at least a day and until they pass a “leak” test to ensure the integrity of the staple line before they are discharged to go home.
ESG
Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) is a procedure that is done without any incisions and normally takes between 60 to 90 minutes to complete. The doctor gains access to the patient’s stomach using a special tool called an endoscope, which is designed to be lowered down the throat while the patient is sedated. The endoscope is hollow and is outfitted with a tiny camera that feeds live images to a nearby screen while the doctor is performing the procedure. A special suturing device is lowered down the endoscope and used to place a series of strategically placed sutures that reshape the stomach to be much smaller and tube-shaped.
After the stitches are in place, the endoscope is removed from the patient’s throat, and they are kept for observation for a few hours before being discharged to go home.
@doctorweightloss305 🧐 Endoscopic sleeve? Surgical sleeve? What is the difference?! ⭐️ Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (aka ESG) 🔹 Non-surgical procedure 🔹 Go into the mouth to access the stomach 🔹 Then suture from within the stomach to make the stomach smaller ⭐️ Surgical sleeve (aka sleeve gastrectomy) 🔹 An actual surgery 🔹 Cut through the skin to access the stomach 🔹 Then cut the stomach so the remaining (connected) part of the stomach is smaller ⭐️ Both lead to improved health, significant weight loss, and require lifestyle changes for long-term success. However, there are key differences! #healthy #florida #weightloss #bariatricsurgery #esg ♬ original sound – Simmons MD Weight Loss
Endoscopic Sleeve vs Gastric Sleeve Recovery Time
Gastric Sleeve
Gastric sleeve recovery time is about four to six weeks, which is significantly longer than after the ESG procedure. Most people experience mild to moderate pain for the first several days and are given prescription medication to help ease their discomfort. They are given several activity restrictions they must adhere to while they heal that pertain to lifting, bending, twisting, driving, and other forms of physical activity. They will be on a strict diet that will gradually acclimate their stomach to be able to handle solid foods which takes several months.
ESG
Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty patients normally do not feel any pain after their procedure and are back to their normal routine in around 3 days. Since no part of the stomach is cut or removed and there are no abdominal incisions, ESG patients are not under any type of activity restrictions and can do whatever they feel comfortable with. It will take a few weeks for the smaller stomach to be accustomed to processing solid food, so a special diet must be followed but for a much shorter time than after gastric sleeve surgery.
What Are The Benefits Of Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty vs Gastric Sleeve?
Common Benefits of Gastric Sleeve Surgery and ESG
- The procedure reduces the capacity of the stomach and helps control portions by only allowing the individual to eat very small amounts of food during one meal;
- The smaller stomach empties slower, so it helps the person stay feeling full longer;
- No other part of the digestive system is altered, so vital vitamins and minerals can still be absorbed, so nutritional deficiencies are less likely to occur compared to other bariatric surgeries;
- Hunger cravings are reduced because the production of the hormone ghrelin decreases;
- After both gastric sleeve and ESG, many patients experience improvements or the elimination of metabolic conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and other obesity-related health conditions;
- Neither ESG nor gastric sleeve surgery causes the side effect of dumping syndrome because only the stomach capacity is altered.
Gastric Sleeve Benefits
- Most patients lose between 25 and 30% of their starting weight.
ESG Benefits
- Most patients lose an average of 20% of their total starting weight;
- The procedure does not involve surgery or any type of incisions;
- ESG surgery time is shorter, meaning patients spend a shorter time under general anesthesia;
- There is less than a 1% chance of risks or complications;
- ESG does not require a hospital stay because it is done as an outpatient procedure, and patients can go home the same day;
- ESG has a significantly shorter recovery time of under a week, and there are zero activity restrictions;
- There is no visible scarring because the procedure is done from the inside without any incisions;
- The patient’s stomach is left fully intact, and no part of it is removed, and the changes can be reversed if necessary;
- It is a much-needed alternative for those who do not qualify for or do not wish to undergo surgery.
What Are The Downsides Of ESG vs Gastric Sleeve?
Downsides of Gastric Sleeve
- Around 20% of individuals suffer from the chronic side effect of acid reflux (GERD) after gastric sleeve surgery;
- The surgery requires 4 to 5 small incisions to be made in the patient’s abdomen;
- The patient will be left with visible scars on their abdomen;
- 80% of the stomach tissue is cut off and permanently removed, which is irreversible;
- The recovery is around 4 to 6 weeks, and there are many activities that patients will have to avoid while they heal;
- Patients have to stay in the hospital until they pass a “leak” test, which can be up to three days;
- Gastric sleeve has a risk profile of 12% vs ESG at less than 1%.
Downsides of ESG
- Around 1% of patients experience heartburn or acid reflux after the procedure;
- The average weight loss potential is slightly less than after gastric sleeve, but we have had patients that far exceeded the average weight loss percentage;
- Some individuals may not qualify for the ESG procedure.
ESG vs Gastric Sleeve Which Is Better To Help You Lose Weight?
Both of these procedures are designed to be used as a weight loss tool by helping you control your portions and prolonging satiety. Regardless of whether you choose the non-surgical ESG vs gastric sleeve surgery, in order to reach sustainable weight loss, you will have to make permanent changes to your diet and lifestyle.
Gastric sleeve surgery is more risky, is not reversible, has a long recovery time that is accompanied by several activity restrictions and requires a longer acclimation diet. Individuals who undergo ESG are back to their normal routine within days, have no activity restrictions, and it takes their stomachs less time to acclimate to processing solid foods.
When comparing endoscopic sleeve vs gastric sleeve, it is easy to see that ESG is the safer and better option for medical weight loss assistance.
Where Do I Find Out More About Non-Surgical Weight Loss?
If you have become frustrated and discouraged trying to lose weight on your own, it is time to get some expert help. Dr. Okeefe Simmons is a board-certified specialist and the nation’s first triple fellowship-trained physician in gastroenterology, bariatric endoscopy, and obesity medicine.
He and his team of professionals at Simmons MD Advanced Weight Loss Solutions are ready to guide and support you on your weight loss journey and help you reach your goals and improve your health. Set up your consultation today and learn more about endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty vs gastric sleeve surgery.
