With thanks to Dr Milton Owens & Rancho Speciality hospital California

The procedure was originally conceived of in England and has been further developed and utilized in the U.S, Germany and Belgium. The technique is an improvement over earlier gastroplasty procedures which included placement of foreign bodies, and left the excess stomach intact. It was originally used for very high BMI patients (~ 500 lbs.) to try to reduce the overall risk of surgery. It was then followed by a second surgery when the patient had lost enough weight to safely go through a second procedure like the Gastric Bypass.
The new procedure was started in England about 5 years ago as a stand alone procedure for patients of BMI’s of 35-45. It proved to be quite safe and effective even at 5 years post op.

Extract from study paper published in Obesity Surgery. 2007 Jul
 Andrew A Gumbs , Michel Gagner , Gregory Dakin , Alfons Pomp 

5 October 2007 Easier.com

Almost one million (918,000) image conscious British adults are planning to borrow a whopping £1.4 billion to pay for plastic surgery, according to the research from Abbey Loans.

With all those celebrities showing off their beach bodies over the summer, most Britons appear most concerned about perfecting their curves and honing their six packs. Indeed breast augmentation is the most common cosmetic procedure sought by Brits, accounting for 27 per cent of all surgery, followed by tummy tucks with 25 per cent. Rhinoplasties, or nose jobs, were cited as the third favourite area with 17 per cent.

By LYNDSAY MOSS
HEALTH CORRESPONDENT Scotsman
A SURGEON opted to go under the knife himself for an operation that is becoming popular in the fight against obesity.

Chris Oliver lost more than seven stone after the procedure to limit his food intake. And now he is to donate his surgical robes, or “blues”, which he had to have specially made to cope with his 26-stone bulk, to a museum.

He is hoping his story will inspire others who have struggled with serious weight problems to consider the radical operation.

Scotsman 5 Nov 2007
LEADING surgeon Chris Oliver, who has had gastric band surgery, says he is “delighted” at being re-elected on to the council for the Royal College of Surgeons.

The consultant trauma orthopaedic surgeon at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary had the “life-changing” operation after tipping the scales at 26 stone.

Dr Oliver, 47, said: “I am delighted I have been re-elected to RCSEd Council for five years. Congratulations also to Judy Evans who got the other place.

“It has been an amazing year for me. My life has changed completely since my lap band surgery as I have now lost 100 pounds in weight. My new-found fitness and energy will allow me to return to my previous sporting activities.”

Surgical videos on WeBSurg

You can watch a Sleeve Gastrectomy on the Web. This video demonstrates a routine case of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity. This is usually the first stage of a two-stage procedure. The surgeon starts at the mid portion of crow’s foot about 7 cm from the pylorus and mobilizes all the greater curvature vessels and attachments using bipolar cautery. After full mobilization of the greater curvature up to the angle of His, the gastric sleeve is constructed using a linear stapler. A bougie is used to calibrate the diameter of the gastric sleeve. The specimen is removed from an enlarged trocar site. The surgeon in this case placed a drain.
To watch the procedure visit http://www.websurg.com/ref/Laparoscopic_sleeve_gastrectomy-vd01en1853.htm 

In a normal city you would expect a special bus line that goes from the international airport to the city center. Not everybody can afford a cab, and not everybody likes cabs as such.

In Brno, the airport is served by regular bus line number 76 that has about ten stops on the way to the center and thus is used also by people from the neighborhood the bus goes through. And it is also used by people who work in the industrial zone that neighbors the airport.

Result?

The Sunday Times October 14, 2007
These days it’s not just women who are opting for a nip or tuck. Since 2004, the number of men turning to cosmetic surgery has more than doubled to about 2,500 last year, according to figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).

The most popular procedures are nose jobs (rhinoplasty), eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), liposuction, ear correction (otoplasty) and face or neck lifts. Many people expect surgery to change their life, improve their job prospects or fix a relationship, but this is not necessarily the case. About half the men who have nose jobs aren’t happy with the immediate results, warns BAAPS.

Channel 4 News 16/10/07
Less than one in ten women who lose weight by dieting manage to keep it off, according to a new survey.

Only 9% diet successfully while the remaining 91% put the fat back on and are doomed to a cycle of calorie counting for the rest of their lives.

Researchers found women used a range of substances - including class A drugs - to lose weight. Almost four out of 10 (37%) had tried slimming pills, laxatives (26%) and amphetamines or cocaine (15%).

Three out of 10 (31%) women admitted they had made themselves sick after eating and one in ten (10%) said they would have a gastric band fitted.