Losing weight through diet can be a challenging process for overweight individuals. Due to the enlarged stomach volume, people may have difficulty on maintaining their hunger and satiety balance. While weight loss can be achieved through portion control, portion control may not be as easy as for overweight individuals. Gastric balloon application which prevents obesity and performed without the need for surgical interventions, can temporarily reduce the stomach volume. Thus, people can feel full and lose weight with smaller portions.
What is Gastric Balloon?
Gastric balloon is an alternative method to bariatric surgery and its popularity is increasing day by day. Gastric balloon, available in different types, can be easily applied without the need for surgical intervention. The fact that the operation is reversible and has a low risk of complications is noteworthy, especially for people who have a fear of surgery. Similarly, gastric balloon is a method that can be recommended for obesity patients who cannot undergo surgery because they cannot receive anaesthesia.
In gastric balloon application, the balloon is placed in the stomach with an endoscopy device. After confirming that the balloon is in the right place, the balloon is inflated with a special liquid or with water compatible with stomach fluid. With this procedure, the stomach volume is reduced significantly. This allows the patient to feel full with smaller portions, and after a certain period of time, the patient begins to lose weight significantly.
There are different types of gastric balloon. Six-month and one-year gastric balloons are the most commonly preferred gastric balloon types. Today, swallowable gastric balloon applications are also among the preferred gastric balloon methods.
How Gastric Balloon Is Applied?
Gastric balloon application is considered as a non-surgical weight loss method. It is a method that can be applied to people over the age of 18 who are in good general health. The procedure does not require anaesthesia and is usually performed under sedation. With endoscopic procedures, gastric balloon is placed in the stomach. If the balloon, which is delivered to the stomach through the tube, is placed in the appropriate position, it is inflated with a liquid compatible with the stomach fluid. By inflating the balloon, stomach volume is reduced. The operation ends with the completion of the inflation process.
Hospital stay is not required after gastric balloon application. However, in order to prevent a possible complaint, patients are kept under observation in the hospital for a few hours. After discharge, patients are required to follow a liquid diet for few days as recommended by their doctor. Then, over time, they can return to their normal eating habits. What should not be forgotten at this point is to try to adopt healthy eating habits. Otherwise, the success of the operation may be negatively affected.
Gastric balloons are used as a temporary treatment. Depending on the gastric balloon type, the balloon must be removed from the stomach after six months or a year. Therefore, a second endoscopy procedure is performed. The endoscope device is reached from the esophagus to the stomach and the balloon is removed from the body.
What Is the Price of Gastric Balloon?
Gastric balloon prices vary depending on the preferred balloon type. While 6-month and one-year gastric balloon prices vary, price differences may also be observed between balloon manufacturers. In addition to the balloon material affecting the prices, the doctor who will perform the procedure and the hospital where the application will be performed also affects the gastric balloon prices. Swallowable gastric balloon applications, which have become popular today, have higher prices than standard methods.
People who want to learn about gastric balloon price information should first determine which type of balloon they prefer. After deciding on the balloon method, they can contact the assistants of the doctor to learn about the up-to-date price information. Since gastric balloons are generally imported from abroad, it should not be forgotten that exchange rate changes may also affect application prices.