Left gastric artery embolisation for weight loss in obese patients with BMI 35-50kg/m2: EMBIO trial

The rise in obesity (BMI greater than 30) is worldwide, with it already being a major concern in some countries, such as the USA. In the UK, the prevalence of obesity has doubled over the last 25 years with 29% of men and 27% of women now classified as suffering from obesity.

Left gastric artery embolisation (LGAE) is a minimally invasive procedure which has shown promising results for weight loss in recent studies and could play a key role as a treatment option in between our current tier-3 and tier-4 services. The left gastric artery provides blood supply to the fundus of the stomach, where the majority of the enteroendocrine cells which produce the appetite stimulating hormone, Ghrelin, are located. This endovascular procedure performed by a interventional radiologist aims to render the fundus of the stomach ischaemic, thereby theoretically reducing Ghrelin levels and resulting in weight loss. 

The EMBIO trial is a multi-centre, double-blinded randomised controlled trial including two participating centres in England. Participants will be randomised to LGAE or placebo procedure in a 1:1 ratio.

Primary objective: To evaluate the efficacy of left gastric artery embolisation (LGAE) on weight loss and obesity related comorbidities at pre-determined times points over a 12 month follow up period.