Intragastric Balloon for Management of Severe Obesity: a Systematic Review

Older models of intragastric balloons (IGBs) had unacceptably high complication rates and inconsequential weight loss. With FDA approval of newer models, we aimed to systematically examine the literature regarding the efficacy of IGB therapy for obesity. A comprehensive electronic database search was completed. Title searching was restricted to the following keywords: bariatric, gastric, gastric bypass, gastric band, sleeve gastrectomy, and intragastric balloon. Twenty-six primary studies (n = 6101) were included. At balloon removal, mean change in weight and BMI were 15.7 ± 5.3 kg and 5.9 ± 1.0 kg/m(2). The most common complications were nausea/vomiting (23.3 %) and abdominal pain (19.9 %). Serious complications were rare: mortality (0.05 %) and gastric perforation (0.1 %). IGBs are associated with marked short-term weight loss with limited serious complications.