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Peer-reviewedCC BYMedicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)

Do Gastric Balloons Have a Future? Intragastric Balloons in the Era of Highly Effective Obesity Pharmacotherapy.

  • Rhea Sibal1
  • G Balamurugan2
  • Mohammed Aradaib2
  • Yitka Graham2,3,4,5
  • Kamal Mahawar2,3
5 affiliations
  1. 1Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK.
  2. 2Department of General Surgery, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, Sunderland SR4 7TP, UK.
  3. 3Helen McArdle Nursing and Care Research Institute, University of Sunderland, Sunderland SR6 0DD, UK.
  4. 4Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Austral University, Buenos Aires B1406, Argentina.
  5. 5Faculty of Psychology, University of Anahuac, Mexico City 52786, Mexico.
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Abstract

Intragastric balloons (IGBs) were developed to bridge the gap between lifestyle intervention and Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (MBS), but the advent of highly efficacious pharmacotherapies and Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG) has challenged their role. This narrative review synthesises contemporary evidence and guideline recommendations regarding IGBs, focusing on short-term efficacy, durability, safety, psychological aspects, and health system considerations in comparison with Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAs), dual GIP (Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide)/GLP-1 RAs, ESG, and MBS. Across randomised trials and meta-analyses, IGBs consistently produce modest short-term weight loss of approximately 10-15% total body weight at six months, with frequent weight regain following removal and limited long-term benefit. In contrast, modern pharmacotherapy achieves greater and more durable weight loss with fewer procedural risks. Current guidelines therefore position IGBs as adjunctive or bridging interventions reserved for selected patient subgroups, rather than as a dominant intermediate therapy. Overall, current evidence supports a selective role for IGBs as bridging, adjunctive, or combination interventions within multimodal obesity pathways, particularly for patients who cannot access or tolerate pharmacotherapy or who require a behavioural and metabolic bridge to surgery.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{sibal2026gastric,
  title = {{Do Gastric Balloons Have a Future? Intragastric Balloons in the Era of Highly Effective Obesity Pharmacotherapy.}},
  author = {Rhea Sibal and G Balamurugan and Mohammed Aradaib and Yitka Graham and Kamal Mahawar},
  journal = {Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/medicina62101916},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42942447},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Do Gastric Balloons Have a Future? Intragastric Balloons in the Era of Highly Effective Obesity Pharmacotherapy.
AU  - Rhea Sibal
AU  - G Balamurugan
AU  - Mohammed Aradaib
AU  - Yitka Graham
AU  - Kamal Mahawar
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/04
JO  - Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)
DO  - 10.3390/medicina62101916
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42942447
AB  - Intragastric balloons (IGBs) were developed to bridge the gap between lifestyle intervention and Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (MBS), but the advent of highly efficacious pharmacotherapies and Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG) has challenged their role. This narrative review synthesises contemporary evidence and guideline recommendations regarding IGBs, focusing on short-term efficacy, durability, safety, psychological aspects, and health system considerations in comparison with Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAs), dual GIP (Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide)/GLP-1 RAs, ESG, and MBS. Across randomised trials and meta-analyses, IGBs consistently produce modest short-term weight loss of approximately 10-15% total body weight at six months, with frequent weight regain following removal and limited long-term benefit. In contrast, modern pharmacotherapy achieves greater and more durable weight loss with fewer procedural risks. Current guidelines therefore position IGBs as adjunctive or bridging interventions reserved for selected patient subgroups, rather than as a dominant intermediate therapy. Overall, current evidence supports a selective role for IGBs as bridging, adjunctive, or combination interventions within multimodal obesity pathways, particularly for patients who cannot access or tolerate pharmacotherapy or who require a behavioural and metabolic bridge to surgery.
SN  - 1010-660X
SN  - 1648-9144
ER  -