Single-center retrospective evaluation of short and long-term efficacy of intragastric balloon placement in obesity treatment

Abstract

Obesity is a serious chronic disease caused by genetic and environmental factors. One of the treatment options is intragastric balloon application. This study aimed to evaluate the results of patients who underwent intragastric balloon placement on the short- and long-term treatment of obesity. The data and long-term follow-up results of 34 patients who underwent intragastric balloon placement due to obesity between December 2011 and August 2013 were retrospectively evaluated. Age, sex, body mass index (BMI), presence of additional diseases, duration of intragastric balloon remaining in the stomach, patients’ weight, and BMI at intragastric balloon removal, weight measured in December 2019, bariatric surgery performed during the study period if any, and general health status during this period were obtained. The mean weight loss of the patients after intragastric balloon removal was 15.6 ± 9.6 kg (range, 0–45 kg). The mean decrease in BMI after intragastric balloon removal was 11.4 ± 6.4% (range, 0%–26.5%). No patients developed any complications. The procedure was ineffective in the long-term in 76.4% of the patients. The most important disadvantage of intragastric balloon placement application in the treatment of obesity is that the weight lost in the early period is regained in the long-term after balloon removal. In patients scheduled to undergo bariatric surgery, intragastric balloon placement can be applied as a bridge therapy to facilitate preoperative weight loss to reduce complications.