Gastric outlet obstruction: a rare complication in patients with intragastric balloon treatment for obesity

A 43-year-old female patient presented to the emergency department with sudden onset of recurrent vomiting and epigastric pain for 5 days. The patient was not able to keep any food or fluid down. Two months ago, an intragastric balloon (MedSil, Mytishchi, Moscow region, Russia) was inserted endoscopically as a treatment for obesity with an initially uneventful course. On physical examination, there was a palpable resistance in the right mid-abdomen with no pain on palpation. Blood testing did not reveal any signs of infection. A CT scan showed a massive dilatation of the stomach with a maximum diameter of 34 cm, caused by a trapped intragastric balloon in the gastric antrum with consecutive gastric outlet obstruction (figure 1, arrow). After the insertion …