Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding in adolescents: short-term results.
OBJECTIVE
Children and adolescents who fail to lose weight through diet and exercise programs have been offered weight loss surgery for several years. We report our early results on laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) in 100 teenagers.


METHODS
Candidates for surgery underwent rigorous assessment for medical eligibility, compliance, and psychological well-being. Patients who met criteria and were approved by our team were offered LAGB. Postoperatively, patients were followed monthly until steady weight loss was achieved, then every 3 months thereafter.


RESULTS
One hundred patients aged 14 to 19 years underwent LAGB. Preoperative average weight was 136.7 kg, and median body mass index was 48.7. Comorbid medical conditions were common. Five reoperations were performed for port site bleeding, hiatal hernia repair, possible intestinal obstruction, and port slippage. Eighty-seven patients were followed for a minimum of 6 months. Average weight loss at 6 months was 12.4 (range, 33.2 to 16.2) kg, and average change in body mass index was 4.4 (range, 11.8 to -5.6).


CONCLUSIONS
Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding may be performed safely in adolescents, and short-term results suggest that LAGB may serve as an important tool to help them lose weight.
Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. jlz2@columbia.edu
Jeffrey L
JL
Zitsman
Ilene
I
Fennoy
Mary Ann
MA
Witt
Janet
J
Schauben
Michael
M
Devlin
Marc
M
Bessler
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015391:Gastroplasty / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery; D012086:Reoperation; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss