Minimally Invasive Weight Loss Treatment Shows Promising Results

Bariatric arterial embolization (BAE) could offer individuals a viable, safe alternative to surgical weight-loss treatments, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSM; Baltimore, MD, USA) enrolled seven severely obese (but otherwise-healthy) adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 40-60 to the study. All study participants underwent BAE, and were concomitantly enrolled in a weight program so that they could understand and implement critical lifestyle and diet changes before and after BAE. The researchers also tracked weight loss, ghrelin levels, hunger and satiety assessments, quality-of-life, blood pressure, and adverse events at the one, three, and six-month mark.

The results showed that in all patients BAE was safe, with no major adverse events. In the first month following the procedure, study participants had an average excess-weight loss of 5.9%. After six months, the participants' excess-weight loss increased to an average of 13.3%. All patients demonstrated a dramatic reduction in hunger levels, ghrelin levels trended down, and quality-of-life scores were improved. The study was presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology annual scientific meeting, held during April 2016 in Vancouver (BC, Canada).

"Obesity is a highly prevalent, detrimental and costly disease in the US and abroad. Currently, interventions to treat this condition include behavioral modifications, diet and exercise, medications, and surgery,” said study presenter Clifford Weiss, MD, director of interventional radiology research at JHUSM. “We're excited about the promise of bariatric arterial embolization as another tool for health care providers to offer patients in the effort to curb this epidemic.”

BAE targets the fundus of the stomach, which produces the vast majority of ghrelin, the body's most powerful hunger hormone. It is performed exclusively by interventional radiologists, who use image guidance and catheters to gain percutaneous access the specific blood vessels in this portion of the stomach. The physician then injects microscopic beads to decrease blood flow, thereby suppressing some of the body's hunger signals, leading to reduced appetite and weight loss.

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Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine