Weight Loss

Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG) is also known as stomach stapling. It is a restrictive weight loss surgery wherein band and staples are used to create a small stomach pouch. It is a small pouch of about ½ ounce in the upper stomach with a narrow outlet of ½ inch tightened by a mesh band, to prevent stretching. As you eat, the solid food gets collected in the pouch which is released very slowly in to the remaining stomach and gastrointestinal tract.

As the food is released slowly out of the pouch, you feel full even without eating much. If you happen to overeat, you may have a feeling of vomiting or pain which would make you eat in control.
This is a comparatively simpler weight loss surgery which doers not require you to stay in the hospital for long. VBG alone is not regarded as a very successful weight loss surgery by most of the modern day doctors. They believe that it when combined with a malabsorotive technique is the best way to get rid of excessive weight safely.
 
It is also known as a quite serious and dangerous procedure and therefore its use in modern days is not appreciated. In place of this surgery, more and more doctors are now opting for adjustable gastric band which is an inflatable silicone device placed around the top portion of the stomach.

Advantages of Vertical Banded Gastroplasty

* It leads to no nutritional deficiencies.
* It does not lead to dumping syndrome which is usually caused when food moves too fast inside the body.

Disadvantages of Vertical Banded Gastroplasty

* The patient needs to stick to a strict diet chart so that there may be no complications later.
* VBG is considered to be less effective in comparison to Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery, which is one of the most popular weight loss surgeries in use today.
* VBG will do no miracles for you in a single day. In fact, you will have to follow a healthy lifestyle to make the surgery work for you.
* Reversal of VBG is a real complicated process. You will have to pass through a much serious surgical procedure to get the band out of your body.

Thus, it may be concluded that Vertical Banded Gastroplasty is not that favorable or popular a weight loss surgery in today's context. There are many types of weight loss surgeries that have come up and are being extensively used to help people lose weight. You need to get in touch with your physician who would tell you all about them.