Identifying the Ideal Target Vessel Size for Bariatric Embolization: Histologic Analysis of Swine and Human Gastric Fundi

This study aimed to identify the ideal arteriole size to target in bariatric embolization, with the goal of maximizing weight loss efficacy while maintaining patient safety. Although all published clinical trials of bariatric embolization have used embolic microspheres that were at least 300 μm in diameter, optimal weight loss outcomes have been achieved safely in swine using 50-μm embolics. Human fundal remnants from bariatric surgery were compared with swine fundal sections after bariatric embolization with 50-μm embolic microspheres to assess the ideal fundal vessel size for bariatric embolization. In swine, the 50-μm embolic microspheres deposited in the luminal half of the submucosa with a mean arteriole size of 49 μm ± 30. The mean arteriole diameter in the corresponding submucosal layer of the human gastric fundi was 40 μm ± 30. These measurements may inform future clinical trials and direct the development of embolic agents for bariatric embolization.