Intragastric injection of botulinum toxin in the treatment of obesity: a single-center study

In recent years, various novel surgical and non-surgical therapeutic options have been developed for treating obesity. Due to its disputed success, intragastric botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injection is still being debated.

We aim to contribute to this controversial issue in the literature by sharing our center's findings regarding intragastric BTX-A injections in the treatment of obesity.

Patients with a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 25 kg/m² and at least one obesity-related complication, or a BMI of greater than 30 kg/m² without complications, were eligible for the study if they were between the ages of 18 and 65.

Following the same procedure, two endoscopists administered BTX-A to all patients. All patients were evaluated for obesity by measuring their lipid profile, hormone profile, and insulin resistance level before treatment.

In our study on 82 patients, we saw a significant mean weight loss (-9.2 kg, p < 0.001) in the second month, and there was no additional mean weight loss in the sixth month of follow-up. In addition, this result seems to be independent of the patient's insulin resistance. We did not see any serious side effects in any of the patients.

Although the use of intragastric injection of BTX-A in the treatment of obesity is a controversial issue, we showed in our study that it causes significant weight loss. Further studies are needed on this subject, as it can be a safe method when the ideal dose and application site are combined with appropriate patient selection.