Silastic

The surgeon created a small gastric pouch by using a circular stapler to punch a hole right through the stomach tissue just below the cardia.

They passed a rigid Selastic band through that hole and around a lesser curvature to serve as a fixed outlet.

Then they vertically stapled the fundus off from the cardia, creating a small pouch, but critically, they did not actually divide the tissue.

So why did patients inevitably regain the weight, and why did the surgical community abandon the VBG?

Ah, they just drank their calories.

Yes.

These liquids simply washed right through the Selastic band without causing restriction, entirely defeating the metabolic purpose.

Furthermore, because the stomach was merely stapled and not surgically divided, the constant pressure caused the staple line to break down over time.