title: Comparative outcomes of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding in adolescents and adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is a major health problem in all age groups. Morbidly obese adolescents often fail to lose weight with diet and exercise and, as adults, become candidates for surgical intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  We matched adolescents (14-19 yr) and adults (19-73 yr) retrospectively from university medical center-based adolescent and adult obesity surgery programs who had undergone laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding by gender and body mass index (n = 115).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most common co-morbid condition in adolescents was menstrual irregularity/polycystic ovary syndrome. Hypertension was the most common co-morbid condition in adults. The adults were nearly 9 times as likely to be diabetic as the adolescents. We analyzed patients with ≥6 months of follow-up for the percentage of excess weight loss at 6-month intervals for ≤24 months. Both groups demonstrated progressive weight loss that did not differ significantly in the initial 12 months; however, the data beyond 12 months were limited by the small numbers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of more serious co-morbidities in obese adults, coupled with the successful weight loss after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, in adolescents suggests that weight loss surgery might be indicated at a younger age for severely obese individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Center for Adolescent Bariatric Surgery and Center for Obesity Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA. jlz2@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Zitsman
authors.forename: Mary F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Digiorgi
authors.forename: Joshua R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Marr
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Witt
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bessler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D015391:Gastroplasty / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D012086:Reoperation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult