Journal of Obesity & Eating Disorders

Long-term Maintenance of Weight Loss Following Removal of Intragastric Balloon: A Brief Communication

Background: Obesity is a global epidemic with increasing prevalence. Bariatric endoscopy provides a novel method of weight loss intervention that is minimally invasive. Intragastric balloon (IGB) installation is one such intervention that results in temporary weight loss though its long-term applications remain controversial.
Method: Retrospective data was collected from 12 obese patients who underwent IGB placement for 6.5 months without structured outpatient behavioral support. Anthropomorphic measures were recorded at baseline, time of removal, and at telephone follow-up 4 ± 2.3 years. Successful IGB therapy was defined at maintenance of total body weight loss (TBWL) over 10% from baseline.
Results: Approximately 83% of patients had short-term weight loss at the time of removal with 25% demonstrating durable long-term maintenance of the TBWL goal.
Conclusion: IGB likely requires early intensive lifestyle intervention adjuncts to produce long-term results. It can be valuable in the short-term as a bridge to sustainable medical or surgical weight-loss programs.
 

Author(s):

Chandni Pattni, Sylvia Pytraczyk  and Lawrence B. Cohen *

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