Predictors of 1-year weight maintenance after intragastric balloon removal: a real-world cohort study of 478 patients.

Authors

Sami Salem Ahmad, Suhaib Ahmad, Sergio Carandina, Antonio Iannelli, Tagleb Mazahreh

Published in

Surgery for obesity and related diseases : official journal of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Jun 01, 2026. Epub Jun 01, 2026.

Abstract

Intragastric balloon (IGB) therapy is a minimally invasive intervention for weight management. However, maintenance after balloon removal and predictors of sustained weight loss at 1year remain uncertain.
This retrospective single-center study included patients who underwent fluid-filled IGB placement between January 2015 and December 2019 at Istishari Teaching Hospital, Amman, Jordan. Inclusion criteria were age ≥13 years and IGB insertion for weight control. Balloons were endoscopically placed and removed at 6 months per standard protocol. No concurrent weight loss interventions were permitted. Total weight loss percentage (TWL%) was calculated at balloon removal (6 months after balloon insertion), at 6 and 1year after balloon removal. Patients were stratified by pretreatment body mass index (BMI): Group 1 (25-29.9), Group 2 (30-34.9), Group 3 (35-39.9), and Group 4 (≥40 kg/m²). Multivariate linear and logistic regression identified predictors of BMI and ≥10% TWL at 1year after balloon removal, respectively.
A total of 478 patients (74.3% female; mean age 31.3 ± 8.8 years; mean pretreatment BMI 36.1 ± 8.1 kg/m²) were included. Mean TWL% was 12.8% at removal, 7.5% at 6 months after removal, and 4.0% at 1year after removal (P < .0001). Higher pre-treatment BMI predicted greater TWL% at all time points (P < .001) but was also associated with higher BMI at 1year (β range: +4.45 to +20.92; P < .001). Age was modestly associated with higher BMI (β = +.07; P = .002). In logistic regression, age predicted ≥10% TWL at 1year (odds ratio [OR] 1.04; P = .040), while Groups 3-4 had lower odds (OR .29 and .24; P < .05). In contrast, sex (P = .051) and BMI Group 2 (P = .447) were not significant predictors of achieving ≥10% TWL at 1year.
Pretreatment BMI and age independently influenced weight trajectories following IGB therapy. Patient selection based on lower BMI categories (25-35 kg/m²) and integration with postremoval support programs may be key to optimizing 1-year outcomes.

PMID:
42379987
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 01 Jul 2026.

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