The only balloon that adjusts as you go
No scalpel, no staples, no stomach cut. Eight to twelve months of a balloon that goes up or down in volume with you — the only one in its category that adjusts as you go.
01 · What it is
The Spatz3 is a soft silicone balloon placed in the stomach via endoscopy and filled with sterile saline. It occupies gastric volume, reducing capacity for food and prolonging satiety. It is not surgery: no incisions, no staples, no tissue cut.
What sets the Spatz3 apart from any other intragastric balloon is that its volume can be adjusted — increased or decreased — during treatment, via a catheter in an outpatient visit. This allows managing initial tolerance with less volume and then boosting the effect, or reducing it if tolerance is difficult.
And it is the only adjustable option available for extended 8–12 month treatments (ASMBS Position on Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies 2022). Non-adjustable balloons have shorter durations and do not allow this modulation.
02 · Who it's for
These are the general indications. Real candidacy depends on your BMI, medical history, and your readiness for the dietary and behavioral change the balloon requires to work.
Overweight or mild obesity, where bariatric surgery may not be indicated. Typical candidate range for endoscopic balloons (ASMBS Position on Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies 2022).
Patients with very high BMI (>50) who need to lose weight before undergoing major bariatric surgery to reduce surgical risk.
Patients who don't medically qualify for surgery or who decline it. The balloon is reversible: it's removed at the end of treatment.
Without real commitment to dietary and behavioral change during treatment, the balloon does not work. If you're not ready for that change, we talk about it before placement — not after.
03 · The procedure
Medical assessment, clinical nutritional evaluation, and review of gastrointestinal history. We confirm there are no contraindications for endoscopic placement (active ulcers, large hiatal hernia, prior gastric surgery).
Approximately 20–30 minutes under conscious sedation — not general anesthesia in most cases (ASMBS Position on Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies 2022). The balloon is introduced through the mouth via endoscopy, positioned in the stomach, and filled with sterile saline through the catheter.
Outpatient procedure: you go home the same day, no hospital stay. The first 1–2 weeks are the heaviest adaptation — nausea or vomiting in most patients, managed with anti-emetic medication.
Transition from liquids to soft solids over the first weeks. Structured nutritional support throughout the treatment — the balloon is the tool, dietary and behavioral change is what produces the result.
A unique feature of the Spatz3: at least one outpatient visit is scheduled during treatment to adjust balloon volume via catheter — either to boost the effect if weight loss plateaus, or to reduce volume if tolerance becomes difficult.
At 8–12 months the balloon is removed endoscopically under conscious sedation. The procedure is similar to placement. Nutritional follow-up continues to maintain results without the balloon in place.
04 · Outcomes
The balloon is a reversible intervention of lower magnitude than bariatric surgery. These are ranges supported by published clinical studies. Your real outcome depends on dietary and behavioral adherence during treatment.
%TWL (total weight loss) range reported at the end of the 8–12 month treatment (Russo et al. Obesity Surgery 2017, Spatz3 Adjustable Balloon; ASMBS Position on Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies 2022).
Reported frequency of adaptive symptoms at the start of treatment, typically managed with anti-emetic medication (ASMBS Position 2022; Russo 2017).
Rate of patients who require balloon removal before completing treatment due to symptoms that cannot be managed (ASMBS Position on Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies 2022).
Sources: Russo et al. (Obesity Surgery 2017, Spatz3 Adjustable Intragastric Balloon); ASMBS Position on Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies (2022). Additional risks: balloon deflation, gastric ulceration, and migration exist but are rare.
05 · Cost
Each case has a different profile: hospital, number of adjustment visits, nutritional follow-up program. Publishing a single number would be dishonest — it would either undersell complex cases or overprice simple ones.
WhatsApp me your weight, height, and any medical conditions. I respond within 24 hours with a real quote, hospital recommendation, and financing options if you need them.
06 · Spatz3 vs Allurion
07 · Frequently asked
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