From First-in-the-Nation to the Future: How Bariatric Embolization Is Changing Obesity Treatment

In 2014, physicians at Dayton Interventional Radiology made history by performing the first U.S. bariatric transcatheter embolization procedure to treat obesity. This minimally invasive approach, known as bariatric embolization, marked the first time interventional radiologists attempted to directly target the biological source of hunger — the stomach’s ghrelin-producing cells.

Instead of surgical incisions, doctors used a tiny catheter inserted through the wrist or groin to deliver microscopic particles into the left gastric artery, the vessel that feeds the upper part of the stomach. These particles gently blocked blood flow to the ghrelin-producing area, reducing the hormone responsible for triggering appetite. Early results were promising: patients not only lost weight but also reported a significant decrease in constant hunger cravings.

The Gastric Artery Embolization Trial for Lessening Appetite Nonsurgically (GET LEAN) study, led under FDA supervision, collected safety and efficacy data on this first-in-human U.S. procedure. Researchers aimed to understand how much weight patients could lose, how their hunger levels changed, and whether this minimally invasive approach could become a long-term treatment option for obesity.

The findings paved the way for what we now recognize as the Hunger Block™ Procedure — an evolution of bariatric embolization that blends decades of radiology experience with a deep understanding of metabolic science.

Today, the Hunger Block™ Procedure offers patients a non-surgical, outpatient path toward better metabolic health. It’s particularly effective for people whose weight loss has plateaued on popular medications like Ozempic® or Wegovy®. By targeting ghrelin at its source, it helps break through that frustrating wall and reignite progress — safely and sustainably.

With every new study, the evidence grows stronger: hunger and metabolism can be managed without invasive surgery. Bariatric embolization represents a future where precision medicine and interventional radiology reshape the way we think about obesity care.