Endoscopic Band Ligation for Weight Loss: A Clinical Trial

We previously reported the utility of endoscopic band ligation (EBL) in weight loss in a female patient with obesity. This study aimed to evaluate the safety of weight loss using EBL in a larger cohort.

This prospective cohort study included 13 female patients aged ≥ 18 years with a body mass index of ≥ 30 kg/m² who were unwilling to undergo bariatric surgery. Patients with obesity-related comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease were included. Patients with a history of bariatric surgery and those with clinical manifestations of gastroparesis, portal hypertension, liver cirrhosis, and coagulopathies were excluded. Primary study outcomes were technical feasibility and safety, and secondary study outcomes were the percentage of total weight loss, excess weight loss, and the change in gastroparesis clinical symptom index at 1 month after surgery.

No serious complications occurred during the endoscopy or immediately after that. All patients experienced epigastric pain, nausea, and vomiting for the first 3 days, with one patient developing mild hematemesis on the second day that stopped spontaneously and revealed no abnormalities on endoscopy. At 1 month after EBL, the mean percent excess weight loss and total weight loss were 22.3% ± 9.9% and 7.8% ± 2.5%, respectively.

EBL is an effective and safe intervention for obesity management. Further studies with larger cohorts are warranted to comprehensively evaluate of the long-term efficacy and safety of EBL for obesity management.