Bariatric Surgery in the Pediatric Patient
Type 2 diabetes, previously called adult-onset diabetes, is now seen in children and teenagers as a complication of obesity.
epidemiologicalMarc Harmon1:44 ↗
Obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, dyslipidemias, and cardiovascular risk factors are comorbidities now appearing in obese children.
clinicalMarc Harmon1:44 ↗
About half of teenagers presenting for bariatric surgery have had a parent who underwent weight loss surgery.
epidemiologicalThomas Inge2:20 ↗
The success rate of non-operative weight loss falls dramatically and linearly from age 6 to 16; a severely obese teenager may have only a 1% chance of losing significant weight with lifestyle interventions.
epidemiologicalTodd Ponsky3:15 ↗
Lifestyle management research defines success as 5–10% total body weight loss, whereas bariatric surgery in teens achieves about 30% weight loss at 3–5 years.
clinicalMarc Harmon4:34 ↗
Caloric restriction is the primary mechanism for weight loss; exercise is more effective for maintaining weight loss once achieved.
clinicalTodd Ponsky5:15 ↗
Orlistat is the only FDA-approved weight-loss drug for pediatrics, causing greasy stools and achieving only about 2% weight loss.
clinicalTodd Ponsky6:21 ↗
Topiramate and phentermine, approved for adults, affect appetite and satiety pathways in teenagers identically to adults and are used off-label.
clinicalTodd Ponsky6:21 ↗
Most U.S. bariatric surgeons limit surgery to teenagers (youngest reported case age 13) to ensure physiologic maturity and avoid harm to development.
guidelineMarc Harmon7:13 ↗
A colleague in Saudi Arabia has performed weight loss surgery on children as young as 6–7 with reported good long-term results.
clinicalMarc Harmon7:13 ↗
Surgery can prevent diabetes in adolescents with elevated blood sugar who are not yet diabetic.
clinicalTodd Ponsky8:25 ↗
Adult bariatric studies show a longevity benefit for surgery in morbid obesity.
clinicalTodd Ponsky8:25 ↗
Most insurance plans covering bariatric surgery require a 6-month period of medically supervised weight loss before surgery.
guidelineTodd Ponsky10:08 ↗
Patients are put through 'surgery school' during the 6-month preoperative period to teach them about the surgery, nutrition, risks, and benefits, ensuring informed, non-coerced consent.
guidelineTodd Ponsky10:08 ↗
A multidisciplinary team for adolescent bariatric surgery includes pediatric endocrinology, gastroenterology, psychology (2), exercise physiology (2), nutrition (2), and surgery.
guidelineMarc Harmon12:12 ↗
Patients may be in a medical obesity program for 3 years before considering surgery, allowing the surgical team to build longitudinal relationships with families.
guidelineMarc Harmon12:12 ↗
Many patients who need bariatric surgery lack insurance coverage due to policy exclusions, even when surgery is medically indicated.
epidemiologicalTodd Ponsky16:09 ↗
Surgeons advocate for patients when insurance denies coverage but it is not an absolute exclusion.
guidelineTodd Ponsky16:09 ↗
Teens with chaotic lives, uncontrolled medical problems, or untreated psychiatric illness may not be ready for surgery and require preparation by the multidisciplinary team.
clinicalTodd Ponsky17:52 ↗
Syndromic obesity and monogenic obesity (single-gene mutations driving appetite) account for 6–7% of severely obese children by age 10; outcomes with bariatric surgery in this group are mixed and require further study.
clinicalMarc Harmon19:11 ↗
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass has the longest track record in adults and teenagers.
clinicalMarc Harmon19:57 ↗
Adjustable gastric band has a high reoperation rate in teenagers and adults and is no longer widely offered.
clinicalMarc Harmon19:57 ↗
Vertical sleeve gastrectomy, originally a first-stage procedure for super-obese patients, now shows good initial weight loss and comorbidity resolution at 3–4 years in adults and teens.
clinicalMarc Harmon19:57 ↗
In 2015, sleeve gastrectomy was performed in 80% of adolescent bariatric cases, gastric bypass in 20%, and virtually no bands.
epidemiologicalTodd Ponsky21:14 ↗
Sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass show very comparable weight loss and comorbidity resolution results in teenagers.
clinicalTodd Ponsky21:14 ↗
Gastric bypass is preferred for patients with hypothalamic obesity (e.g., post-brain tumor, pan-hypopituitarism) because sleeve and band have shown inferior weight loss in this biologically driven obesity.
clinicalTodd Ponsky22:13 ↗
Theoretical and measured risks of sleeve gastrectomy are lower than gastric bypass in teenagers and adults.
clinicalTodd Ponsky22:13 ↗
Sleeve gastrectomy is performed laparoscopically, starting 4–6 cm proximal to the pylorus, mobilizing the greater curvature to the diaphragm, and stapling along a 36–42 Fr bougie to the angle of His.
clinicalMarc Harmon23:49 ↗
A 25 cm clamp can be used to standardize sleeve geometry, ensure complete fundus mobilization, and prevent leaving excess fundus that can cause reflux.
clinicalTodd Ponsky25:58 ↗
The upper spinal firing near the GE junction is the most common site for leaks and the thinnest part of the stomach.
clinicalTodd Ponsky27:34 ↗