Perforation of the Esophagus Caused by the Insertion of an Intragastric Balloon for the Treatment of Obesity

Obesity is an enduring chronic disease, with multifactorial etiology. Many procedures and solutions have been proposed in the last 25 years. If patients do not meet the criteria for bariatric surgery, intragastric balloons may be used to achieve weight reduction. Contraindications to balloon therapy are a large hiatal hernia, severe esophagitis, peptic ulceration and previous gastric surgery. Although intragastric balloons are advocated as safe devices, major complications such as intestinal obstruction, gastric perforation and gastric ulceration have been described. We report a case of esophageal rupture due to insertion of an intragastric balloon for the treatment of morbid obesity, for which no contraindication existed. When abnormal pain or discomfort arises, or esophageal damage is noted after insertion of an intragastric balloon, patients must be closely monitored to diagnose a possible esophageal rupture early and thereby prevent severe complications.