The Endobarrier is another endoscopically implantable device to stimulate weight loss. It consists of a sheath about 60cm long which is placed just beyond the stomach which must be removed at a maximum 12 months after placement.
The Endobarrier is thought to have anti-diabetic effects along with weight loss due to increased gut hormone release after implantation.
Although the Endobarrier can be placed for more than 6 months, weight loss has mostly plateaued by 6-9 months with the device. It is newer than the balloon and has much less published data available regarding its safety and efficacy. In practice it probably has around a 10% complication rate mainly because of the anchoring device in the duodenum which can occasionally cause bleeding, perforation, migration, pancreatitis or liver abscess. In this sense it could be argued that the balloon is a safer and better studied procedure than the Endobarrier with roughly comparable weight loss.
Mr Clough is trained in both Endobarrier implantation and removal as well as the intra-gastric balloon.