Bariatric surgery in Egypt: your options, who qualifies and how to choose

In a sleeve gastrectomy, about 80% of the stomach is removed with surgical staples, leaving a narrow tube roughly the size and shape of a banana (ASMBS). The smaller stomach holds less food and makes less of the hormone that drives hunger (Cleveland Clinic). It is done by keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic and usually takes 1 to 3 hours (NHS).

On average, people lose around 25% to 30% of their body weight in the first one to two years, and that average holds at five years (Cleveland Clinic). The sleeve cannot be reversed, because part of the stomach is taken away, and it can worsen reflux or cause new heartburn (NIDDK). Anyone with troublesome reflux therefore needs a careful assessment before choosing it. Read the full guide to Gastric sleeve surgery.

We do not publish a fixed figure, because an honest price depends on the hospital, the nights you stay, the tests you need and the follow-up that is included. Two quotes for the same operation in Cairo can look very different simply because one includes the staplers, the hospital stay and the dietitian visits while the other lists them separately. Comparing like with like is the first step to a fair surgical quote.

Before surgery the team checks your health with blood and urine tests, X-rays and scans (NHS). Afterwards you need vitamin and mineral supplements and regular check-ups for life (NHS). These are real costs, so ask for them in writing. Our page on Gastric sleeve cost explains what drives the price and how to ask Dr. Yasser’s team for a current written quote.

The one-anastomosis gastric bypass makes the stomach into a long, narrow tube and joins it in a loop to the middle of the small intestine, using one connection where a classic bypass uses two (Cleveland Clinic). It is usually done laparoscopically, takes about two hours and needs one to two days in hospital (Cleveland Clinic).

One study found up to 73% excess weight loss at five years, compared with 60% for a traditional bypass (Cleveland Clinic). The trade-offs include a higher risk of bile reflux, ulcers where the stomach meets the bowel, and a lifelong need for vitamins (Cleveland Clinic). Whether it suits you depends on your reflux history, your eating pattern and how reliably you can attend follow-up. Read more about the Mini gastric bypass.

In a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the stomach is divided with staples into a small upper pouch about the size of an egg, and the small intestine is rerouted so food skips most of the stomach and the first part of the bowel (ASMBS, NIDDK). Most patients lose between 66% and 80% of their excess weight, mostly within 18 to 24 months (Cleveland Clinic).

The bypass often improves reflux quickly, which matters if you already live with heartburn (ASMBS). On the other hand, it is technically more complex, carries more risk of vitamin and mineral shortages than a sleeve, and can lead to ulcers, bowel obstruction and dumping syndrome (ASMBS). The full guide to Gastric bypass surgery explains who it suits and what life after it involves.

Revisional surgery is a second operation for someone who has already had a weight-loss procedure, because of weight regain, reflux, a complication or a band that no longer works. The ASMBS notes that a sleeve can be a first step, or a bridge to a later bypass, in some patients (ASMBS). A gastric band that slips can cause heartburn, nausea and vomiting, and may need further surgery to reposition or remove it (NHS).

Revision is usually more demanding than a first operation, because the surgeon works with scar tissue and changed anatomy. It starts with a full review: the notes from your first operation, imaging or an endoscopy, and an honest look at eating habits since then. Dr. Yasser trained in advanced and revisional obesity surgery at Aker University Hospital, Oslo, in 2004. Read the guide to Revisional bariatric surgery.

An intragastric balloon is a soft balloon filled with salt water that takes up space in the stomach, so you feel full on less food; it does not permanently change the stomach or intestine (NIDDK). The most common type is placed through an endoscope under mild sedation in 20 to 30 minutes and stays for six months (Cleveland Clinic). Another type is swallowed empty and filled through a thin tube once it is in the stomach, which usually takes around 20 minutes (NHS).

Average weight loss is about 10% of total body weight, most of it in the first three months, and only a minority keep it off over five years (Cleveland Clinic). It is intended for adults with a BMI of about 30 to 40 (Cleveland Clinic), and some people use it as a bridge to surgery (Cleveland Clinic). Read the full guide to the Gastric balloon.

Surgeons start with the body mass index (BMI): your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in metres. The NHS offers surgery from a BMI of 40, or from 35 to 40 with a condition that could improve with weight loss, such as high blood pressure or diabetes (NHS). The 2022 international guidelines from the ASMBS and IFSO go further: surgery is recommended from a BMI of 35 whatever your other conditions, and should be considered from 30 to 34.9 in people with metabolic disease (ASMBS/IFSO).

Thresholds are lower for some groups. The NHS says surgery may be considered below a BMI of 40 for people of South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, African or Caribbean background (NHS). The international guidelines suggest offering it to Asian patients from a BMI of 27.5, and set no upper age limit, though frailty is assessed carefully (ASMBS/IFSO).

BMI is only the first filter. You also need to commit to lifelong changes in eating and activity, to supplements and to follow-up care (NIDDK). Work out your number with our BMI calculator, then send it to the clinic with your questions.

There is no single right operation. The choice of procedure depends on your BMI, reflux, diabetes, eating pattern, any previous surgery and how easily you can attend follow-up. The table sums up what the sources say; your surgeon weighs it against your own tests.

Two rows matter more than the weight-loss figures. A sleeve cannot be undone, and every operation commits you to supplements and check-ups for life (NHS). The percentages are averages from large centres, not a promise, and they use different measures (total body weight versus excess weight), so compare them with care.

Dr. Yasser Elbasatiny is a consultant in bariatric, laparoscopic and general surgery with more than 30 years in practice since qualifying from Ain Shams University in 1989. He holds an MSc and an MD in surgery from Ain Shams, became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCS) in 1996 and a Fellow of the International College of Surgeons in 1997.

His training in weight-loss surgery includes a diploma in obesity surgery from the University of Padua in 2001, training in advanced and revisional obesity surgery at Aker University Hospital, Oslo, in 2004, and a diploma in advanced laparoscopic surgery from the European Surgical Institute in Hamburg. He sees patients in New Cairo (Aspects Clinica, 164 North Teseen St., Fifth Settlement) and at Cleopatra Hospitals.

Every decision about surgery is made after an examination and the necessary tests, and some patients are told that surgery is not the right step yet. If you would like a personal assessment, book a consultation with Dr. Yasser.