Intragastric Balloon (Technical Specifications, Types and Comparisons)

There are 3 types of patented intragastric balloon in the world for today (September 2009). Two of them are fluid injection intragastric balloon (Bioenterics® ve Silimed®) and one is air injection intragastric balloon (Heliosphere®). The processing mechanisms of each three products are technically similar.Following you can look over to technical comparisons of three products.

Editor’s Comment 1

Although the intragastric balloons have technically similar features, Heliosphere®, has encountered with some problems related with design at the patent stage and it’s implementations are going on in the some centers in Europe and in our country for the present. The key problems related with the product are those the scientific data on Heliosphere® is insufficient and the multicentric results still haven’t been published. In addition it isn’t possible to be noticed by the operator in the event of puncture at the balloon because of Heliosphere® is inflatied with air.
Bioenterics® intragastric balloon is the most implemented product in the wolrd and in Turkey and it’s scientific results have been declared. Particularly in Italy at Europe and in Brasil at South America multicentric study results have been published and it’s efficiency level has been proved.
Similar results have been seen when you look at the weigh loss outcomes. The scientific study results for Heliosphere® those will be published in the coming years will be more useful to show the differences and the similarities between two products.

Editor’s Comment 2 : (October 2009)

In addition to the previously used 2 intragastric balloons, fluid injection Silimed® Intragastric Balloon which has been included to the field of application with the completion of the patent stage in 2008 has been also began to be used. This intragastric balloon is quite similar to Bioenterics® Intragastric Balloon. It is a very important characteristic to be injected with fluid and it is seen at the same value with Bioenterics® in confidence.
Heliosphere Intragastric Balloon has realized a change in design structure in 2008 again and the case structure on the balloon has been changed to prevent the air leakage. Furthermore the capacity of this gastric balloon has been also lowered from 900 cc to 600 cc like the other fluid injection balloons.
Gastric balloon applications are continued to be used as common practice all over the wolrld. Altough they are used to prepare particularly the obese patients with very high weigh (BMI>50kg/m2) to the surgery treatment, they are also suggested to be used as an auxiliary and supporting treatment method to provide weigh loss at the overweight patients those have (BMI 27 – 35 kg/m2) at the beginning of the obesity but couldn’t lost weigh with diet or other treatment methods.

Assoc. Prof. Halil COŞKUN M.D.
www.halilcoskun.com
halilcoskun@hotmail.com