Gas-filled on par with fluid-filled IGB for obesity treatment

Current Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved intragastric balloon (IGB) systems, the gas-filled IGB (Obalon) and the fluid-filled IGB (Orbera), demonstrate similar effectiveness for the treatment of obesity, as shown in a recent study.

However, the gas-filled IGB results in fewer serious adverse events (AEs) and better tolerability than the fluid-filled IGB.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted at two academic centres between October 2015 and May 2020 and involved all consecutive patients treated with the gas-filled or fluid-filled IGB.

The primary endpoints were percent total body weight loss at balloon removal in patients completing at least 20 weeks of therapy, the difference in AEs that required urgent evaluation or hospitalization, and early removal in the two cohorts.

Eighty-seven patients had a successful IGB placement (gas-filled IGB: n=57, mean age 48.9 years, mean body mass index [BMI] 35.5 kg/m²; fluid-filled IGB: n=30, mean age 49.2 years, BMI 38.8 kg/m²).

Eleven patients, however, had to remove the device early. No differences were noted in percent total body weight loss at balloon removal and 12 months between the balloon systems (p=0.39).

Notably, patients who received the fluid-filled IGB had a higher likelihood of needing urgent evaluation or treatment, staying in the hospital for >24 hours, and requiring early balloon system removal relative to those treated with the gas-filled IGB.