[The intragastric balloon: a logical and attractive idea, but probably ineffective]

Abstract

Loss of post prandial satiety is often of limiting value in the success of a slimming training. Thus, the idea to introduce a balloon filled partially with air to occupy the stomach seems to be logic. A technic easy to handle had contributed to a large diffusion of this method before people asked about its real efficacy. Several short term (10 days) or medium term (6-10 months) studies show a significant weight loss, but there have been no controlled trials to determine the relative contribution to weight loss of the gastric balloon vs dietary and behaviour modifications. Furthermore, a great variability in the weight loss, some subjects even gaining weight, suggest that the compliance of the patients may be the most relevant factor. Adverse effects are effectively low and principally concern local gastric irritation (2-5%) and intestinal occlusion in some rare cases requiring surgical removal of the partially deflected balloon. Thus, if the implantation of a gastric balloon is relatively safe, it is difficult to recommend its use to the treatment of obesity in regard of the actual published results, even if most of the treated patients suffered of refractory obesity, difficult to modify with non surgical treatment.