A rare cause of abdominal pain: Acute pancreatitis due to intragastric balloon

Abstract

The intragastric balloon is one of the interventional treatments used to treat obesity. This case report presents a 28-year-old woman undergoing intragastric balloon insertion to treat obesity. Thirty-five days later, she was admitted to the emergency department with acute abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. During the physical examination, she had pain on deep palpation in the right lower quadrant. The laboratory showed only high serum amylase levels of 563 IU/L (range 28-100 IU/L). The abdominal ultrasound did not detect gallstones or enlarged intra or extrahepatic ducts. A computed tomography scan was performed, and intragastric balloon and distal pancreatic oedema without mass and peri-pancreatic fluid collection were detected. Intravenous hydration and anti-biotherapy were started. On the second day of hospitalization, the patient's amylase value returned to the normal range (40 IU/L). The patient who tolerated oral intake was discharged on the 3rd day of hospitalization. Diagnosis of pancreatitis is made by a history of intragastric balloon insertion, a pancreatitis-like clinical picture, and biochemical and radiological confirmation of the clinical diagnosis. In such cases, conservative therapy should be applied first; the intragastric balloon should be removed only in patients resistant to treatment or with a long-term intragastric balloon.