Diego Laurentino Lima, MD, Luana C Cabral, MD, Juscielle S Barros, Rayssa A B de Melo, Gustavo L Carvalho, PhD. University of Pernambuco, Faculty of Medical Sciences.
OBJECTIVE: to demonstrate which of abdominal fat compartments, the subcutaneous cellular tissue (SCCT) or visceral fat (VF), is more reduced in patients after treatment with intragastric balloon (IGB).
METHODS: In this study, twenty-two patients were evaluated before and after treatment with IGB through the following variables: weight, height and body mass index (BMI) and the measures of the thickness of the SCCT and of the VF through the abdominal ultrasonography.
RESULTS: The age of the patients in this study ranged from 20 to 61 years, average of 41.50 years, standard deviation of 11,53 years and a median of 42,00 years, and 54,5% between 41-61 years, 45,5 % remaining were 20 to 40 years. The majority of patients (68,2%) were composed of women. All variables analyzed (weight, BMI, SCCT and VF) decreased in the mean from that the averages of the absolute variation were all positive; for the margin of error fixed (5.0%), the differences in all variables were significant (p < 0,05). The means of the percentage differences ranged from 11,74% to 12,62%; being higher for the SCCT; followed by VF (12.0%); weight and BMI, each one with 11.74%.
CONCLUSIONS: The data indicated that patients after treatment with IGB obtained bigger reduction in their SCCT than abdominal VF.