LAPAROSCOPIC AND ROBOTIC VERTICAL GASTRECTOMY (SLEEVE)
It has been proven that the most reliable and modern surgical method of weight loss, the Vertical Gastrectomy (or gastric sleeve) offers a loss of excess weight in up to 81% of cases 12 months after the operation, and is accompanied by an immediate improvement in all accompanying morbid obesity problems (including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, arthropathies and type II diabetes).
In selected cases of Morbid Obesity (body mass index >40, or >35 with the presence of metabolic syndrome), your doctor will recommend a Sleeve Gastrectomy, i.e. surgical removal of the left part of the stomach responsible for the production of the appetite-inducing hormone ghrelin. In patients with a BMI<35 in whom dieting fails, the physician may recommend other treatments, in collaboration with the gastroenterologists of the Bariatric Surgery Team, such as gastric balloon and gastric botox, which are promising alternatives in appetite control for overweight patients.
Sleeve gastrectomy is performed laparoscopically, i.e. through 5 small holes in the abdominal wall with a diameter of 0.5-1.5 cm. Robotic Sleeve Gastrectomy is an evolution of laparoscopic surgery and is performed through 5 small holes of 0.5-1.5 cm, using a robotic system that significantly facilitates surgical manipulations and especially intra-abdominal suturing.
During Sleeve Gastrectomy, after gaining access to the abdomen and insuflating gas (carbon dioxide) to create the necessary working space (pneumoperitoneum), surgeon S.C.Hirides will first check the entire abdomen. He will then cut the fatty part between the stomach and the spleen with great care because there are several veins in this place. In the laparoscopic approach these veins are safely controlled thanks to the use of ultrasonic scissors. In the robotic technique, this phase is safely performed with the use of a novel, bipolar diathermy called Vessel Sealer. Then, the surgeon, using a special tool that cuts and at the same time sews the stomach (endoscopic stapler - endoGIA), will remove the left part of the stomach after careful measurements. The resulting long suture line is reinforced by continuous suturing with absorbable suture and then with biological glue. The removed part of the stomach is removed from the largest wound with a small expansion of it. The wounds are sutured intradermally and the skin is brought back to its original position.
Read our related publication in the scientific journal Advances in Obesity Weight Management & Control
Dr. Hirides worked for 11 years in the Bariatric Surgery Clinic of Athens Medical Center, which is one of the 4 certified (IFSO-accredited) clinics in his country, with extensive experience in placement and removal of gastric bands, correction of bariatric complications, and robotic sleeve gastrectomy . He was trained in Advanced Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery in IRCAD (Strasbourg, J.Marescaux) and IFSO (Paris, Porto, Istanbul, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles) courses. In 2007 he participated to the educational course at the Obesity Surgery Clinic of professor F. Kalfarentzos in Patras (gastric bypasses, cholangiopancreatic bypass), in 2008 to the hands-on educational course of the University of Athens (Hippokrateon Hospital, Prof. Emm. Leandros) for the vertical (sleeve) gastrectomy. In 2012 he attended Michel Gagner's sleeve gastrectomy post-training masterclass in Boston. In 2015, he was trained in Gastric Plication at Martin Fried's center of excellence in Prague. In 2016, he attended the Sleeve Gastrectomy Masterclass organized in Athens. In 2017, he was trained in new gastric bypass techniques and portal catheterization surgery for pancreatic islet transplantation to correct Diabetes Mellitus (Lille, France) and later that year he successfully completed the IFSO "Mini Gastric Bypass" training course in London. During the 2nd International Meeting of Diabetes Surgery in New York (F.Rubino), Dr.Hirides was inspired by the experimental model of surgical correction of diabetes, which after many years of research in the laboratories of ELPEN, led him to complete his dissertation at University of Athens in 2016, with "EXCELLENT" grade (professor G. Zografos). For his successful research project in the Surgery of Morbid Obesity and Diabetes Mellitus, the internationally renowned professors F.Pattou and T.Hubert invited Dr.Hirides in June 2017, to give a lecture on the subject of his thesis in Lille, France, in the context of expert hands-on metabolic surgery course they organized there. The doctor still actively participates with numerous speeches in Greek and international obesity surgery conferences, usually as the strongest supporter of Robotic Bariatric Surgery. His patients say they are happy with their choice of both the operation, as well as their surgeon and his scientific team.