Obesity - Treatments

The Intra-gastric balloon: A new innovation for weight loss.

Obesity is a worldwide problem. The health consequences of being obese are extensive and include heart burn, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, liver failure and cancer. Being obese shortens life span. It is for this reason that the government has wisely made fighting obesity a national health priority. If you are the 1 in 4 of the UK population who is deemed unhealthily overweight (obese) with a body mass index of greater than 35kg/m2 , (i.e. your weight in kilos divided your height in metres squared is greater than 35) and want to loose weight then help is at hand. Although the initial line of therapy is to alter behaviour in relation to food and to increase the level of exercise, we all know how difficult that can be. Just like giving up smoking it can be difficult to loose weight.

Medical help is available and is effective when used in combination with behavioural and diet changes. The treatment ladder would usually involve advice from a dietician and psychological support from a mental health professional if required. This would be followed by the prescription of medication that reduce the absorbtion of fat from the diet or which suppress appetite. If these measures are ineffective the next step is to place into the stomach, with the help of an endoscopic camera, under sedation, a specially designed, liquid filled, silicone balloon.

This innovation offers a safer, simpler and reversible alternative to restrictive stomach surgery - gastric bands and stomach bypass operations both of which are major procedures requiring a general anaesthetic. A general anaesthetic may be particularly hazardous in the obese. These major operations until now have been the only options offered to patients after pills have failed. The advent of balloon therapy is particularly welcomed for this reason and because the balloon can also be placed in patients contemplating having other surgery who need to reduce their operative obesity-related risks prior to surgery.

The endoscopic procedure takes about 40minutes and perhaps with an overnight stay in hospital to ensure tolerance of the balloon the patient is discharged. Recent published evidence show impressive results with the balloon. It is designed to stay in the stomach for up to 4-6 months and is also removed endoscopically under sedation. A treatment course would usually involve 2 balloons placed sequentially over a 12 month period.

We are delighted to be able to offer a comprehensive weight loss service and this innovative balloon therapy at The London Bridge Hospital under the care of one of our Consultants - Dr Jude A. Oben. As appropriate internal referrals will be made to surgical colleagues if medical and endoscopic therapy is either inappropriate of ineffective.

Dr Oben BM, BCh, Ph.D, MRCP is an Oxford and Johns Hopkins University trained Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist with sub-speciality and research interest in obesity induced liver disease, liver fibrosis and liver stem cells.

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