Intragastric Balloons in Pediatric Patients and Special Populations

Abstract

In recent decades, the incidence and prevalence of childhood obesity has increased in most countries. The prevalence of obesity in children aged 6–11 years has increased from 4.2% in the 1960s to 19.6% in 2007–2008, that is about a fivefold increase in 40 years. The prevalence of the most relevant comorbidities in the adult population, such as hypertension, type II diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, increased from 2.8% in 1980 to 6.4% in 2011, with an estimate of about 20% of the population by 2021. In addition to this, obesity affects special populations, such as patients with total or partial situs inversus, the elderly and individuals with chronic diseases, thereby increasing comorbidities and making treatment more difficult. The aim of this chapter is to gather the most important published information of the use of intragastric balloons in obese children and special patients in order to assist readers in decision-making about the use of this device for safe and effective weight loss. The use of endoscopic devices has been reported for many years inconnection with the many challenges related to obesity and its comorbidities in pediatric and special populations, with most results being positive. The intragastric balloon is an important tool for bariatric endoscopy in high-risk surgical patients.