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Bariatric arterial embolization (BAE) is feasible, effective, and well tolerated among patients with severe obesity, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology in Salt Lake City. Adham Khalil, MD, colleagues evaluated the safety and efficacy of BAE in patients with obesity using novel, customized, tightly calibrated 100 to 200 µm radiopaque embolic microspheres “BTG-001933” (Boston Scientific). The analysis included 10 adults (aged 21 to 70 years) with a BMI of at least 35 kg/m2 and who weighed less than or equal to 400 lb. The researchers reported that the left gastric artery (n=10) was embolized with or without the gastroepiploic artery (n=6) with a 100% technical success rate. The study team observed no major adverse events, but minor adverse events included a healing mucosal ulcer at a three-month endoscopy and a vascular access site pseudoaneurysm (unrelated). At baseline, three months, and six months, weight-to-muscle volume ratios were 10.3, 10.0, and 9.2 kg/L (Rrm=0.89), respectively.
