Endoscopic intragastric balloon therapy for 15 years in Japan: Results of nationwide surveys

INTRODUCTION: Endoscopic intragastric balloon (IGB) placement has been performed in Japan since 2004. The nationwide surveys were repeatedly carried out to confirm the effectiveness and safety of IGB in Japan. We herein present the accumulated results. METHODS: Twenty-six Japanese endoscopists personally imported products of the BioEnterics Intragastric Balloon (BIB)/Orbera system after completing the training courses in Japan. Mail surveys were posted to them every 2 years from 2010. This study included the accumulated data of the six surveys, and excluded data from non-Japanese patients and the Orbera365 data. RESULTS: Between 2004 and 2019, 399 obese Japanese patients underwent IGB treatment using the BIB/Orbera system. The incidence rates of early removal of IGB within 1 week and complications due to IGB were 4.8% and 6.1%, respectively. The average percent excess weight loss (%EWL) and percent total weight loss (%TWL) at IGB removal were 46.6% and 11.5%, and successful weight loss, defined as %EWL ≥ 25% or %TWL ≥ 10%, was achieved in 65.6% or 54.5% of the patients, respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed that older age and larger saline filling volume were independent predictors of successful weight loss. At 1 year after IGB removal, successful weight loss defined by the %EWL and %TWL was maintained in 44.7% and 34.1% of the patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: IGB therapy using the BIB/Orbera system has been safely and effectively performed in Japan. The successful weight loss may be associated with older age and larger saline filling volume.