Which statement about sleeve gastrectomy is true?

Which statement about sleeve gastrectomy is true?

• A. It creates a tubular stomach and does not involve anatomic changes to the small intestine.
• B. It bypasses the majority of the stomach to reduce absorption
• C. It involves placing an adjustable band around the stomach
• D. It reroutes the small intestine to exclude the colon.

Answer: (A)

Sleeve gastrectomy is a restrictive operation that reduces gastric volume by removing a large portion of the stomach along the greater curvature, leaving a narrow, tubular stomach. Importantly, it keeps the entire small intestine in place; there is no bypass or rerouting of the intestines, so nutrient absorption pathways aren’t changed by altering intestinal continuity. This is why the statement that it creates a tubular stomach and does not involve anatomic changes to the small intestine is true. The other descriptions refer to different procedures: an adjustable gastric band involves placing a band around the stomach to create a small pouch; bypassing or rerouting portions of the stomach and intestines (as in gastric bypass) changes absorption, and not sleeve gastrectomy; rerouting the small intestine to exclude the colon would be unrelated to standard bariatric procedures and is not how sleeve gastrectomy works.

Sleeve gastrectomy is a restrictive operation that reduces gastric volume by removing a large portion of the stomach along the greater curvature, leaving a narrow, tubular stomach. Importantly, it keeps the entire small intestine in place; there is no bypass or rerouting of the intestines, so nutrient absorption pathways aren’t changed by altering intestinal continuity. This is why the statement that it creates a tubular stomach and does not involve anatomic changes to the small intestine is true.

The other descriptions refer to different procedures: an adjustable gastric band involves placing a band around the stomach to create a small pouch; bypassing or rerouting portions of the stomach and intestines (as in gastric bypass) changes absorption, and not sleeve gastrectomy; rerouting the small intestine to exclude the colon would be unrelated to standard bariatric procedures and is not how sleeve gastrectomy works.