Management of obesity with the new intragastric balloon

Background: The introduction of an endoscopically-placed Bariatric Intragas tric Balloon (BIB) provided the opportunity to reexamine weight reduction m ethods and also study potential weight loss without resorting to surgical i ntervention. Methods: 10 severely obese patients with mean age 33 years and mean body ma ss index 39, underwent BIB placement, 7 as a sole weight reduction procedur e and 3 requiring weight reduction before repair of large incisional hernia s. All patients were followed at 2-week intervals by a nurse practitioner a nd dietitian for 6 months. Results: Mean weight loss was 18.6 kg (range 6.6-40.0), equivalent to 40% e xcess weight loss (EWL), range 10-81%, EWL was 54% (29-81%) in those patien ts who had two balloons placed, who lost an average of 30.3 kg (24.0-40.0 k g), In the patients who had only one balloon placed, mean weight loss was 1 0.4 kg (8.8-12.5), equal to an EWL of 19% (10-37%). Conclusion: These results lead us to consider BIB placement as a successful short-term measure for weight loss or for patients requiring at least weig ht loss before other surgery.