Intragastric Balloon as a Noninvasive Method for Obesity Treatment: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: The incidence of obesity is increasing globally, with approximately 1 in 3 adults either overweight or obese. Surgery provides the most effective treatment for advanced obesity; however, endoscopic treatment, including intragastric balloon therapy, is commonly used in patients who do not meet the indications for surgery. Our study aimed to evaluate short- and mid-term weight changes of patients who had intragastric balloon therapy. 

Material and Methods: In this single-center retrospective study, we enrolled 320 patients with body mass index (BMI) values between 30 and 40 kg/m² and without comorbidities, who underwent intragastric balloon treatment. 284 patients successfully underwent the operation. All patients were followed-up at 6 months after treatment, balloons were removed, and BMIs were recorded. Further follow-up was performed 6 months after balloon removal, and patients' BMI and demographic data were recorded again. 

Results: Overall, 320 patients were enrolled in this study. In this cohort, 82 returned to their preprocedural weight at 1 year postprocedure, whereas 260 had BMI lower than the preprocedural values, but higher than the values at 6 months postprocedure. None of the patients had lower BMI compared to their 6-month postprocedural values. 

Conclusions: Balloon therapy typically helps patients lose 10% of body weight. Intragastric balloons are effective when used as weight loss tools, but are ineffective at maintaining weight loss. An intragastric device placed for 6 months may also be expected to help the patients develop better eating habits; however, we did not encounter this lifestyle change in our series.