Intra-Gastric Balloon

Intra-Gastric Balloon procedure involves putting a silicone balloon in your stomach. It is round and the surface is smooth. It is inflated with 500 to 700ml of normal saline. It sits in your stomach to reduce what you can eat. It is placed through a gastroscope, which physician uses to look for any stomach ulcer or tumor.

This procedure lasts about 30 min and requires mild sedation. This is not a surgical procedure, no cutting or stapling of stomach involve. This balloon is temporary, and it has to be removed 6 months after placement. The average weight loss ranges from 15 to 25 kg in the literature.

It is commonly done in Europe and South America. The numbers of cases in Asia are increasing, secondary to its safety and non-surgical nature. The known complications are gastric ulcer, nausea and vomiting, rupture of stomach (in patients with previous stomach surgery), bowel obstructions, and etc.