Effect of Intragastric Balloon on Gastric Emptying Time in Humans for Weight Control

This study evaluated the effect of fluid-filled intragastric balloon treatment on the scintigraphic gastric emptying times in humans for weight control.Ten obese patients were prospectively recruited in our study. Three participants followed a solid food diet, and 7 participants followed a liquid meal diet to evaluate their scintigraphic gastric emptying times before and 3 months after fluid-filled intragastric balloon treatment.The participants included 3 males and 7 females. The mean age, body mass index, and body weight before intragastric balloon treatment were 36.8 ± 9.16 years, 35.91 ± 8.86 kg/m(2), and 93.9 ± 24.09 kg, respectively. The mean body weight, body mass index, and body weight loss 3 months after the treatment were 80.2 ± 21.32 kg, 31.50 ± 8.90 kg/m(2), and 13.7 ± 6.60 kg, respectively. The solid gastric emptying times before and 3 months after intragastric balloon treatment were 114 ± 18.52 minutes and 375.33 ± 207.04 minutes, respectively. The liquid gastric emptying times before and after intragastric balloon treatment were 38.71 ± 15.91 minutes and 318.71 ± 168.07 minutes, respectively. Statistically significant differences were observed in the solid and liquid gastric emptying times before and 3 months after intragastric balloon treatment using the Wilcoxon t test (P = 0.027, P = 0.001). Significantly positive correlations were observed between body weight loss and solid and liquid gastric emptying times after intragastric balloon placement using the Spearman correlation (β = 1.0, P < 0.001; β = 0.95, P = 0.001).The solid and liquid scintigraphic gastric emptying half time is significantly longer after intragastric balloon treatment in humans. A significantly positive correlation between body weight loss and scintigraphic gastric emptying time was observed after intragastric balloon treatment. We can predict the effect of intragastric balloons on weight control through scintigraphic gastric emptying times after the treatment. The effect of intragastric balloons on weight loss may be reinforced by combining intragastric balloon treatment with medication that can reduce gastric motility.