Stomach reduction in Turkey

What is the price of a stomach reduction in Turkey?

The average cost of a stomach reduction operation in Istanbul is €4,600. Depending on your needs, the price can vary from 3,000 euros to 6,200 euros.

Procedure	Cost Turkey
Stomach reduction	4600 €

What is a stomach reduction?

Stomach reduction in Turkey is one of the most common types of bariatric surgery combining restrictive and malabsorptive procedures.

Technically, during this procedure, a small pouch is created to shrink the stomach and a certain segment of the small intestine is brought up and connected to this small pouch. Unlike sleeve gastrectomy, the rest of the stomach is not removed.

However, food does not enter the remaining part of the stomach, while gastric juice and enzymes are still produced in this part to help digest and absorb food.

As a result, gastric bypass patients lose weight because they eat less and calorie intake is limited due to the reduced size of the stomach, while the absorption of high-calorie nutrients is also reduced due to the direct connection between the remaining pouch and the small intestine. This procedure can therefore help to lose weight by two different mechanisms.

See also: Bariatric surgery in Turkey

Stomach reduction surgery in Turkey is performed laparoscopically and is not associated with deep skin incisions and the associated pain. The procedure is performed under general anaesthetic and lasts an average of one hour.

A full pre-operative check-up is carried out and the patient is also consulted by a number of specialists, including pulmonologists, anaesthetists, psychiatrists and endocrinologists. Patients undergo a leak test on the second post-operative day and can leave hospital on the third post-operative day.

Types of stomach reduction

The types of stomach reduction surgery include sleeve and Mini Bypass. Sleeve is a proximal reduction operation, both restrictive and absorptive (of calories).

The patient whose stomach has been reduced by the sleeve operation can be satiated without feeling hungry, while eating smaller portions.

Gastric bypass surgery also reduces the rate at which food is absorbed. After the operation, the level of the appetite hormone called ghrelin decreases and the patient’s appetite is significantly reduced.

See also: Gastric balloon in Turkey

Although the mini gastric bypass is simpler to perform, this method causes bile and pancreatic enzymes to leak from the small intestine into the oesophagus, sometimes leading to serious inflammation and ulceration in the residual stomach and oesophagus. If there is a leak into the abdomen, these corrosive fluids can cause serious complications.

Why have a stomach reduction?

People who may benefit from stomach reduction in Turkey are those who have made repeated attempts to lose weight by dieting, are overweight to the point of compromising their health, are aged between 18 and 65, have a body mass index of 40 kg/m² or more or a body mass index of 35 to 40 kg/m², and have co-morbidities associated with obesity, including insulin resistance, sleep apnoea, heart disease or joint problems.

In addition, this procedure can be performed as revision surgery in people who have already undergone sleeve gastrectomy, gastric banding or gastric plication and who have gained weight after the operation.

The advantages of stomach reduction in Turkey

Stomach reduction in Istanbul is a perfect way to achieve long-term weight control by reducing appetite and allowing small portions of food. Most patients succeed in losing weight and maintaining their excess weight over the long term.

Weight loss helps to permanently resolve the co-morbidities associated with obesity, in particular type 2 diabetes mellitus. Post-operative patient satisfaction rates are high in terms of both psychological and physical effects.

An injectable anticoagulant is given on the day of the operation and patients wear compression stockings (varicose stockings) to reduce the risk of embolism. Patients must wear compression stockings and receive anticoagulant injections at home for a further 10 days after discharge from hospital.

Bleeding is the most frequent complication of the procedure. Monitoring the drain makes it easier to observe any potential bleeding. Signs and symptoms of bleeding include fatigue, dizziness and low blood pressure. Treatment of haemorrhage consists of blood transfusions, depending on the extent of the haemorrhage, and this complication can be easily overcome.

Mortality and risks associated with gastric bypass surgery

As with all operations, in obesity surgery, where operations are performed on the stomach and intestine, intra-abdominal inflammation may occur due to the damage sustained during the operation and the inability to heal the sutures adequately.

Gastric bypass is a full-time operation and has technical differences from other gastric surgeries. When choosing doctors who specialise in gastric bypass, it is important to note whether their team has dieticians and a psychologist who will look after your post-bariatric surgery psychology.

You should also ask whether the hospitals that perform the surgery are fully equipped and whether their teams are sufficiently experienced in this respect. In revision procedures after initial bariatric surgery, the rate of fistulas can be as high as 20%.

The critical areas for leaks are the highest point (89%) of the stapler line located in the oesophagus-stomach junction and the connections between successive cartridges. Post-operative leaks are classified as acute, late, very late and chronic.

How many kilos can be lost with a stomach reduction?

Gastric bypass is one of the most effective weight loss operations of all obesity surgeries. A person who has undergone this operation begins to lose weight at a certain level the day after the operation, and continues to increase the following days.

After gastric bypass surgery, excess weight is expected to be lost by around 75-80% over a period of a year and a half. But it should be noted that, as people’s eating habits have been re-established over this period of around 1.5 to 2 years, there may be a regain of around 10 to 15% of the weight given.

What to eat after a stomach reduction?

After gastric bypass, patients undergo a leak test on the second post-operative day and a 15-day liquid diet is introduced. The liquid diet period is followed by a pureed food diet and solid foods are added afterwards. The diet periods will be carefully explained to you by your dietician.

Results of stomach reduction

Once the operation has been completed and the process of careful eating has been completed, the first results of the operation begin to be seen. The first results observed concern appetite rather than weight. As the volume of the stomach is ninety-five per cent smaller than normal, it is possible to be satiated with one or two meals.