Laparoscopic Gastric Plication

Laparoscopic or robotic vertical gastric plication is a new bariatric procedure that gains ground during the last 10 years and outmatches other bariatric procedures, because of the many advantages that this operation has to offer.

Gastric plication or, as some call it, gastric imbrication is a laparoscopic procedure of minimal risk and severity, produces excellent weight loss in obese patients, results better than laparoscopic gastric banding and very similar to the results of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and Roux en Y gastric bypass.

The main advantages of the procedure are that no foreign body is inserted in the stomach and that there is no removal of any organs.

So the operation can be quick and safe, with very short period of hospitalization, and a very short period of postoperative observation and follow up.

Additionally, there is no banding of the stomach, so we don’t have to do any adjustments after the procedure has finished.

The Procedure
Laparoscopic or robotic vertical gastric plication is a restrictive procedure, that is, it restricts the amount of food that can be consumed by the patient and also reduces hunger, producing satiety with very little food.

During the procedure, which is done laparoscopically or robotically (minimal invasive surgery with no incisions), we plicate one side of the stomach (large curvature) making the stomach like a long tube, without any cutting or resection of the organ.

This reduces the capacity of the stomach to one third or one fourth of the preoperative capacity and the patient consumes very small amounts of food in every meal, having a rapid and significant weight loss during the next few months.

This weight loss can be sustainable for life, unless the patient decides to reverse the operation. It has no problems or complications for the patients’ health and well-being, even after a long period of time.

The operation can be reversible, but this is not advised. Because if we reverse the stomach to its prior anatomy obesity reappears, and the body weight returns rapidly to its former values and more.

Actually we plicate the part of the stomach that acts like a reservoir (large curvature) and we leave unaffected the rest of it, that is responsible for the passage of food (lesser curvature) and contains all the nerves going to the rest of the digestive system.

The result is that the digestion of the food remains normal and the physiology of the stomach unaffected.

The end result is anatomically similar to the result that the laparoscopic gastric sleeve has, but the main difference is that the operation is much milder, with a very short period of hospitalization and recovery, and minimal risks.

Weight Loss Results
Gastric plication results in weight loss better than gastric banding (Lap Band), and similar to the results that gastric sleeve and Roux en Y gastric by-pass have to offer.

The stomach is vertically plicated making it quite smaller achieving satiety and disappearance of hunger, eating only one third to one fourth of the food we used to eat.

With gastric plication which is a restrictive bariatric procedure, the majority of patients can lose up to 95%-100% of their excessive body weight.

Half of this weight loss is achieved during the first six months of the operation and the rest of it is lost after one more year.

The great thing about this procedure is that the patient after the operation has a normal life and can eat without any discomforting sensation at all.

With gastric plication the patient eats a very small amount of food, and this can keep him without any hunger until the next meal.

Why Choose Gastric Plication
Gastric Plication has been performed for morbid obesity since 2004. It’s a very promising bariatric operation and many bariatric centers around the world recommend it as a very safe and effective weight loss procedure.

There are many advantages that this procedure has to offer.

Here are some of the most important:

1. No incisions – no postoperative pain
Gastric plication or gastric imbrication as some call it, is done in a minimal invasive way (laparoscopic or robotic procedure). We use 3 or 4 small 5mm incisions through which we plicate the stomach, and there are no open incisions or scars. That is why, gastric plication has no postoperative pain and the esthetic result is excellent.

2. No foreign bodies inserted
In gastric plication the stomach itself is used to restrict the gastric capacity. So we don’t have to put any foreign bodies inside to do that, like in gastric banding (Lap Band).

3. Short hospitalization
Gastric plication needs only one day in the hospital. Because it is a very mild procedure, the patient is fully mobilized after one or two hours, and starts liquid meals after 12 hours. The patient can leave the hospital next morning.

4. Great safety
Because there is no cutting of the stomach, there isn’t any risk for gastric leaks, like in other weight loss procedures (Gastric Sleeve, Roux en Y gastric Bypass). There is no resection of the stomach or any other organ. There is no diversion of the normal route of the stomach and the gut, and there is no change in the normal absorption of the food whatsoever. Generally speaking, this procedure has the most advantages and is one of the safest among all weight loss operations.

5. Fully reversible operation
Gastric plication is an operation that can be fully reversed. We can easily reverse the stomach to its former shape, size and volume, although this is not recommended, because the patient gains weight very rapidly and the obesity returns in a short period of a few months.

6. No postoperative adjustments – No follow-up appointments
Gastric plication works perfectly right from the beginning. Weight loss starts from day one and we don’t need any post-operative adjustments or follow up like in other bariatric procedures (lap-band, gastric sleeve and gastric by-pass etc.). So every patient can return home or continue with a very pleasant vacation plan, without any need for follow-up appointments.

Nevertheless we stay very closely in touch with our patients, and want to have frequent communication and feedback.

7. Low cost
Gastric plication is a very simple procedure, has a short operation time (50-60′), and a very short hospital stay (one day). That is why it’s a low cost operation offering on the other hand great weight loss results.

8. Combine the solution to your problem with an exceptional vacation in Greece
The low cost, along with the great safety of the operation, makes it possible for the patient to have an exceptional vacation package during the post-operative period, having at the same time our close medical attention and follow up.

*Weight loss surgery and cosmetic procedure results can vary depending on the individual patient. There is no guarantee of specific results.

Next: Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve

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