VBG Surgery New Haven - Dr. Elmer Valin

An Investment in Your Health and Future

If your struggles with weight loss are jeopardizing your health, Laparoscopic Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG) surgery at our New Haven practice can help make you feel comfortable eating less food. When paired with healthy food choices and exercise, this procedure can help you attain a fitter figure and add years to your life. To find out more about how VBG surgery, performed by Dr. Elmer Valin and Dr. Ursula McMillian at our weight loss clinic, can help you become healthier, contact our New Haven, Connecticut practice today.

How VBG Surgery Works

The Laparoscopic Vertical Banded Gastroplasty is a purely restrictive procedure, compared to other gastric bypass procedures that are both restrictive and malabsorptive. This procedure will limit the amount of food that a person can ingest at any given time, which results in decreased caloric intake, and leads to subsequent weight loss.

 The upper part of the stomach is stapled vertically and divided completely from the rest of the stomach to create a small one-ounce pouch. For durability, the staples are made of titanium. A new generation of lightweight, macroporous polypropylene mesh is placed at the lower end of the pouch. This fixes the size of the outlet of the pouch and prevents it from stretching. The mesh slows the emptying of food and creates a feeling of fullness. Digestion occurs naturally. There is no surgery performed on the small intestine. The hospitalization for this procedure is overnight. Patients are walking the same day as their surgery. Most patients return back to work in one to two weeks.

Currently, Dr. Elmer Valin and Dr. Ursula McMillian are the only surgeon in the state of Connecticut performing this specialized procedure.

Advantages of VBG Surgery

There are several aspects of VBG surgery that make it appealing to patients:

• Laparoscopic approach
• Fast recovery time
• Less pain than RNY
• Decreased risk of hernia
• Digestion occurs naturally
• Less risk of micronutrient or protein deficiencies
• No dumping
• No frequent band adjustments

Risks of VBG Surgery

Potential complications of VBG surgery include:

• Periotonitis (inflammation of the inner wall of the abdomen)
• Band erosion
• Stenosis (abnormal narrowing of blood vessel)
• Blood clot to the lungs or legs
• Wound infection
• Ulceration of the pouch

Learn More about VBG Surgery

If you are interested in finding out if VBG surgery is a viable option for helping you lose weight, contact our New Haven, Connecticut bariatric practice today to schedule an appointment. We proudly serve Hartford, New London and New York.