Weight-loss balloons swallowed rather than surgically inserted in the stomach were shown to be safe and effective in preliminary trials, according to findings unveiled on Thursday at a medical conference. So-called intragastric balloons have been used for decades to help obese patients shed unwanted kilos. Inflated with water, the devices curb hunger and make it easier to diet by inducing a feeling of fullness.
Up to now, however, they could only be implanted in the stomach surgically, a costly procedure requiring general anaesthesia or sedation. In a small trial led by Roberta Ienca, a researcher in experimental medicine at Sapienza University in Rome, 42 obese patients - 29 men and 13 women - were fitted with balloons that were swallowed before being inflated with liquid.
"A catheter is attached to the balloon, which is folded into a capsule," Ienca explained to AFP. A doctor fills the balloon via the tiny tube, which is then removed via the mouth with a tug. "This process takes just a few seconds," she added. The body-mass index (BMI) of the volunteers varied between 30 and 45. The threshold for obesity is a BMI - one's weight in kilos divided by one's height (in centimetres) squared - of 30.
The balloons remained in the stomach for 16 weeks, during which time patients were put on a low-carbohydrate, low-calorie diet. At the end of that time, an internal release valve automatically opens and drains the balloon, which is then excreted. After the trial, patients were transitioned to a Mediterranean diet, heavy on vegetables and olive oil, and light on protein and starch.
The new technique "appears to be a safe and effective weight-loss method," Ienca commented in a statement. Because the swallowable balloon "does not require endoscopy, surgery or anaesthesia, this may make it suitable for a larger population of obese patients not responding to diet or lifestyle treatment."
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