Gastric Balloon Insertion

Overview

A gastric balloon, also known as an intragastric balloon (IGB) or a stomach balloon, is an inflatable medical device that is placed temporarily in the stomach to aid in weight loss. It is intended to assist patients lose weight when diet and exercise have failed and surgery is not desired or recommended.

The insertion of an intragastric balloon aids in weight loss. Weight loss might reduce your risk of potentially serious weight-related health problems such as GERD, heart disease or stroke, high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnea, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and Type 2 diabetes.

Intragastric balloon placement and other weight-loss procedures or surgeries are normally performed only after you have attempted to reduce weight through diet and activity modifications.