Partial deployment of the Garren gastric bubble: a new complication

The Garren gastric bubble has recently been introduced as a new treatment for obesity. The technique entails endoscopic placement of a balloon intragastrically to help decrease hunger and cause the feeling of early satiety. Recently side effects and complications have been reported. This report describes a complication in which the balloon would not deploy from the introducer so it could not be removed or inflated. After multiple maneuvers, the gastric bubble was finally removed with no serious sequelae. It is possible if the balloon is loaded and passed without carefully aligning all the parts of the equipment that serious complications could result.