Impact of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy on Weight Loss and Associated Comorbidities in Adolescents and Young Adults

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for obesity treatment in adolescents and young adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The incidence of obesity has been increasing in younger population, posing a significant impact on adolescents' life and health care system worldwide.

METHODS

We critically analyzed the existing literature on the use of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) for the treatment of obesity. We performed an in-depth evaluation of 37 studies and analyzed the effect of LSG in 2300 patients, aged ≤ 22 years.

RESULTS

Mean body mass index (BMI) loss after LSG was 17.81 kg/m2. Gastroesophageal reflux was the most common complication. Most of the patients showed remission of comorbidities including hypertension, diabetes, and obstructive sleep apnea after LSG.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that surgical intervention is highly beneficial for reducing BMI in appropriately selected adolescents and young adults suffering from obesity and comorbidities such as life-threatening obstructive sleep apnea.

Five-year Outcomes of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: a Comparison Between Adults and Adolescents

BACKGROUND

Bariatric surgery in adolescents is still under debate. Literature about the long-term impact of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) on adolescents' obesity and associated morbidities is scarce. It is unknown if LSG shows better long-term results in the adolescent or adult group.

AIM

To compare the long-term effectiveness of LSG on obesity and associated comorbidities between adolescents and adults.

METHODS

This retrospective study analyzed all patients with morbid obesity who underwent LSG in (2011-2012) and were followed for up to 5 years. Patients were divided into two groups: adolescents and adults. Data were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

LSG was performed in 139 adults and 91 adolescents. The mean ages of the adults and adolescents were 37.4 ± 11.4 and 17 ± 1.5 years, respectively. The preoperative body mass index values of the adults and adolescents were 48.4 ± 8.7 and 47.6 ± 7.5 kg/m2, respectively (P = 0.95). At 5 years, percentage of total weight loss increased in adolescents (to 35.8 ± 11.5%), while it remained almost the same in adults (26.3 ± 10%). At 1 year, about 68.2% of adults and 62.5% of adolescents were cured from diabetes though, 13% of diabetic adults had relapse at 5 years and none of the adolescents relapsed. Postoperative complications occurred in both groups.

CONCLUSION

LSG showed comparable weight loss results in adults and adolescents, with better results in adolescents. LSG is more effective in preventing and treating diabetes/prediabetes in the adolescent group.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in adolescents with or without syndromic obesity: two years follow-up

INTRODUCTION

Childhood obesity is an emerging health problem. Surgical treatment of obese adolescents, particularly those affected by congenital syndrome, represents a controversial issue. The aim of this multicenter study was to retrospectively assess the results of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in a cohort of adolescents affected by morbid obesity, with or without congenital syndromes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-one obese (BMI 49 ± 6 kg/m²) adolescents with mean age of 16 ± 3 years (58.5% with previous intragastric balloon failure), and subjected to LSG, were retrospectively evaluated for complications rate, % excess weight loss (%EWL), and inhibition of co-morbidities after 2 years of follow-up.

RESULTS

All the operations were completed laparoscopically and no intra-operative complications were recorded. No mortality was recorded while peri- or post-operative complications only occurred in two patients (4.9%). The EWL% at 6, 12, and 24 months were 42.3, 58.3, and 59.4, respectively. %EWL was comparable (p = 0.7) between non-syndromic and syndromic obese adolescents at 24 months. Conversely patients with previous intragastric balloon surgery had a significant lower EWL (%) at 24 month (p < 0.01). Moreover, at the same time point, co-morbidity resolution rate was 78.2% while improvement rate was 57.6%. Specifically, remission rate of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) were 71, 75 and 61%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

LSG is advantageous in the treatment of morbidly obese juveniles concerning safety, weight loss and co-morbidity control and at same time presenting, a possible effective therapeutic option for patients affected by congenital syndrome.

Weight loss after bariatric surgery in obese adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Of adolescents in the United States, 20% have obesity and current treatment options prioritize intensive lifestyle interventions that are largely ineffective. Bariatric surgery is increasingly being offered to obese adolescent patients; however, large-scale effectiveness data is lacking. We used MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases, and a manual search of references to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on overall weight loss after gastric band, gastric sleeve, and gastric bypass in obese adolescent patients (age ≤19) and young adults (age ≤21) in separate analyses. We provided estimates of absolute change in body mass index (BMI, kg/m²) and percent excess weight loss across 4 postoperative time points (6, 12, 24, and 36 mo) for each surgical subgroup. Study quality was assessed using a 10 category scoring system. Data were extracted from 24 studies with 4 having multiple surgical subgroups (1 with 3, and 3 with 2 subgroups), totaling 29 surgical subgroup populations (gastric band: 16, gastric sleeve: 5, gastric bypass: 8), and 1928 patients (gastric band: 1010, gastric sleeve: 139, gastric bypass: 779). Mean preoperative BMI (kg/m²) was 45.5 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 44.7, 46.3) in gastric band, 48.8 (95%CI: 44.9, 52.8) in gastric sleeve, and 53.3 (95%CI: 50.2, 56.4) in gastric bypass patients. The short-term weight loss, measured as mean (95%CI) absolute change in BMI (kg/m²) at 6 months, was -5.4 (-3.0, -7.8) after gastric band, -11.5 (-8.8, -14.2) after gastric sleeve, and -18.8 (-10.9, -26.6) after gastric bypass. Weight loss at 36 months, measured as mean (95%CI) absolute change in BMI (kg/m²) was -10.3 (-7.0, -13.7) after gastric band, -13.0 (-11.0, -15.0) after gastric sleeve, and -15.0 (-13.5, -16.5) after gastric bypass. Bariatric surgery in obese adolescent patients is effective in achieving short-term and sustained weight loss at 36 months; however, long-term data remains necessary to better understand its long-term efficacy.