Menu
A gastric balloon is a soft smooth, durable balloon mode of silicone rubber. It is placed in the stomach to reduce its capacity, and helps you feel full of less food
The deflated balloon is inserted by the surgeon through the mouth and into the stomach using an endoscope technique.
The balloon is then filled by the surgeon with saline solution to occupy space in the stomach, leaving less room for large 0mounts of food and drink. The idea is to help you feel full faster after, eating smaller meals, and maintain that feeling of fullness longer so you are less hungry between meals.
By design, the gastric balloon is only intended to be in the patient’s stomach for six months before being removed. But if special circumstances arise before that, it can be eliminated at any time.
Most patients experience significant weight loss results in three months after the insertion of their gastric balloon. By the six-month point patients will have lost between 20 and 50 pounds depending on their initial weight. After removing the balloon, patients can continue to lose weight by maintaining a healthy low-calorie diet and exercise routines.
The patient is sedated, and a thin tube carries the silicone balloon inside through the throat to the stomach. The surgeon then guides an endoscope through the throat, a small tube with a camera, to look at the silicone balloon as it is inflated with saline. When the balloon is inflated and sealed, the tubes are removed and the procedure is finished. It usually takes 30 minutes from start to finish, and patients go home the same day. The balloon is left inside for six months. Subsequently, the balloon is removed with an endoscope.
