Intragastric Balloon for Obesity Treatment: Safety, Tolerance, and Efficacy

Abstract

Background: Obesity is an increasing worldwide problem associated with a vast number of comorbidities. Decreasing body weight by only 5-10% has been shown to slow and even prevent the onset of obesity-related comorbidities. Between pharmacological therapy and bariatric surgery a great variety of endoscopic techniques are available, the most common being intragastric balloon (IGB). The purpose of this study was to assess the safety, tolerance, and kinetics of IGBs in weight loss. The kinetics of weight loss were evaluated in 2 different contexts and phases: after the IGB's removal and after follow-up that varied between 6 and 12 months. Successful weight loss was defined as ≥10% weight loss after 6-12 months. Methods: The study included 51 patients who had undergone Orbera® IGB placement between September 2014 and February 2016. Inclusion criteria were age between 18 and 65 years; body mass index (BMI) 28-35 with severe obesity-related disorders; or BMI 35-40. The IGB was removed 6 months later. All patients were followed for a minimum period of 6-12 months. Results: Of 51 patients, 16 were excluded (7 due to intolerance) and 35 patients entered the study, of which 83% were followed for more than 6-12 months. The average weight loss (WL) and % excess WL (%EWL) after 6 months of treatment were 11.94 kg and 42.16%, respectively. At 6-12 months, after removal of the IGB, the mean WL was 8.25 kg and %EWL was 30.27%. Nineteen patients attained a WL of ≥10% the baseline value at IGB removal and 12 maintained their weight below this threshold during the 6-12 following months. Conclusions: After temporary IGB implantation in overweight or obese individuals, a WL that was ≥10% of weight at baseline was achieved in 54.3% and sustained at 6-12 months in 41.4% of participants. IGBs are an attractive intermediate option between diet and exercise programs and bariatric surgery. In general, IGB placement is a safe and well-tolerated procedure.

Intragastric Fluid Filled Balloon for Weight Reduction - A Single Bariatric Center Study

“…However, we have found that after temporary IGB implantation in overweight or obese individuals, a weight loss greater than 10% of baseline weight was achieved in 86.5% of participants. Similar Joana Ribeiro da Silva et al (8) reported the same good results with a smaller number of subjects, of 35.…”

Assessment of Weight Loss After Non-Adjustable and Adjustable Intragastric Balloon Use

“…In a similar study, Fernandes et al compared the use of the non-adjustable model alone in overweight and obese patients, showing that %EWL was greater in the overweight patients and %TBWL was greater in the obese patients (32) . Ribeiro da Silva et al obtained similar results; patients with higher BMIs registered the greatest weight losses (33) .…”

Endoscopic bariatrics: current therapies and future directions

“…The balloon is left in place for 6 months, then endoscopically removed. The Orbera is the most commonly used IGB in the world, with close to 300,000 devices already distributed (18). A meta-analysis of 17 studies totaling 1,638 patients showed TBWL of 11.3% and EWL of 25.4% at 12 months (19).…”