SGIT for Diabetic Obesity - Obesity/Bariatric Surgery

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy with ileal transposition (SGIT) Overview

Bariatric surgery helps people lose weight, but if you have diabetes as a co-morbidity factor due to obesity, bariatric surgery may save your life. Bariatric surgery is typically employed only in those diagnosed with obesity related health problems, such as Type II diabetes or diabetes mellitus, or those who have difficulty losing weight through typical methods and as a result are at heighted risk for complications. Bariatric surgical procedures restrict food intake, usually by altering the size of the stomach.  

SGIT is a bariatric surgery procedure that can be effective as gastric bypass bariatric surgery for weight control, and to help the body regulate glycemic control. Such surgery has been effective in some patients diagnosed with Type II diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus is actually the name given to a group of diseases characterized by high blood sugar levels in the body. Type II diabetes or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus conditions may occur anytime, even as an adult, when it is called adult onset diabetes mellitus. Blood sugar or glucose levels must be maintained within a certain range or your body may experience adverse effects.

Diabetes is caused by deficiencies in the secretion of insulin from the pancreas, or its function. Insulin is a hormone that allows body cells to absorb and store glucose. Glucose is the body’s very own form of energy. When your body is deficient in insulin, the body may develop a form of diabetes mellitus.

Two major types of diabetes occur:

• Type 1 - or juvenile diabetes, is defined by a person’s inability to make insulin, or very little of it.
• Type II - the most common form of diabetes, caused by the body's inability to absorb insulin. More younger people and children are diagnosed with Type II diabetes today - a result of obesity.

Sleeve gastrectomyis a bariatric surgical procedure that reduces the size of the stomach. The procedure provides another option for weight loss for obese patients by removing up to 85% of the stomach. This is a permanent procedure and cannot be reversed. If you have a body mass index over 50, gastric sleeve procedures may help you lose weight. During the procedure, a portion of the stomach is removed, and the remainder shaped into a sleeve rather than its natural pouch shape.

Sleeve gastrectomy procedures are effective for those with high-risk co-morbidities or high BMI (body mass index) ranges. In many cases, the procedure may allow an individual to lose up to 100 pounds or more, which helps to improve health and reduce medical issues that result from obesity, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, as well as lack of mobility and quality of life.

Benefits of SGIT Surgery for Obese Diabetics

Sleeve gastrectomy procedures reduce food intake and resulting blood sugar spikes following eating. The procedure is believed to reduce hormone secretions of Ghrelin, believed to play a major role in the control of blood sugar.

Ileal transposition, the second half of the surgical procedure, moves one part of the small intestine closer to the stomach. The ileal portion of the small intestine literally switches places with the jejunum portion of the small intestine. This may aid in the stimulation and secretion of insulin through early absorption or undigested food, thereby increasing the blood level of certain hormones responsible for blood sugar levels. The procedure focuses on producing an acute insulin response that most Type II diabetics have lost due to their condition. The acute insulin response leads to increased maintenance and control of blood sugar levels immediately after eating; preventing many spikes or dips in blood glucose levels for Type II diabetics.

Costs of a Sleeve Gastrectomy Procedure

SGIT costs depend on the geographical location of the facility.  The intervention surgery is not performed widely, and is available at only a handful of medical facilities around the world, and by a handful of surgeons, so costs can be high, and may or may not be covered by medical insurance. Choose a bariatric surgeon with experience and expertise in all bariatric surgical procedures. In addition, it is important that your bariatric surgeon be a member of a domestic or international Society of Bariatric Physicians, and that he or she performs the procedure in a JCI (Joint Commission International) accredited quality hospital or facility.

For more information about the SGIT procedure, do not hesitate to contact us!