Intragastric balloon for high-risk super-obese patients: a prospective analysis of efficacy.

Background: Super-obese patients with many co-morbidities present a challenge in bariatric surgery because of the high perioperative morbidity and mortality. The BioEnterics intragastric balloon (BIB) is an endoscopic device used preoperatively to induce weight loss to reduce the risk of surgery for morbid obesity.

Methods: From November 2003 to April 2006, the BIB was endoscopically placed in 26 high-risk super-obese patients with a mean body mass index of 65.