Clinical Experience of Weight Loss Surgery in Morbidly Obese Korean Adolescents

PURPOSE Comprehensive multidisciplinary weight management programs encompassing various conservative measures have shown only modest weight loss results in obese children and adolescents; therefore, bariatric surgery for this population has become a matter of discussion. This study aimed to present our experience with and outcomes for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) in morbidly obese Korean adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS The prospectively established database of all patients undergoing bariatric surgery at Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Korea between January 2011 and January 2013 was retrospectively reviewed. Adolescents aged 14 to 20 years were included in the present analyses. RESULTS Twenty-two adolescents underwent bariatric surgery during the study period; 14 underwent LSG and 8, LRYGB. Of these, 17 were female and 5 were male. The mean age was 19 years. Their mean body weight and body mass index (BMI) before surgery were 115 kg and 40.1 kg/m². The only postoperative complication was intraluminal bleeding in 1 patient, which was managed conservatively. The mean BMI decreased to 29.1 kg/m² after a mean follow-up of 10 months. The percent excess weight loss (%EWL) at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively were 19.6, 39.9, 52.6, and 74.2%, respectively. Only 1 patient showed %EWL less than 30% at 12 months after surgery. All patients with diabetes and sleep apnea were cured of their disease, and other comorbidities also improved or resolved after surgery. CONCLUSION Bariatric surgery leads to significant short-term weight loss along with resolution of obesity-related comorbidities in obese children and adolescents.