six months of balloon treatment does not predict the success of gastric banding background we studied whether weight loss by intragastric balloon would predict the outcome of subsequent gastric banding with regard to weight loss and bmi reductionmethods a prospective cohort of patients with a body mass index bmi40 kgm2 received an intragastric balloon for 6 months followed by laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding lagb successful ballooninduced weight loss was defined as or 10 weight loss after 6 months successful surgical weight loss was defined as an additional 15 weight loss in the following 12 months patients were divided in group a losing or 10 of their initial weight with 6 months balloon treatment and group b losing or 10 of their starting weight during 6 months balloon treatment as well as or 15 12 months following lagb 6 patients in group b lost or 15 12 months following lagbconclusion intragastric balloon did not predict the success of subsequent lagb