[Bariatric surgery in extremely obese children and adolescents]

Abstract

The management of childhood obesity is a clinical dilemma. Validated and evidence-based intervention programs are still missing for this age group, and pediatricians increasingly see children with morbid obesity and with obesity-related comorbidities. For those extremely obese patients who failed to respond to the classical therapeutic approaches, bariatric surgery is a therapeutic option. Although available data for bariatric surgery in childhood and adolescence is limited to date, significant postoperative reduction in BMI and an evident improvement of preoperatively existing metabolic and cardiovascular comorbidities and psychosocial well-being have been reported. The indication for bariatric surgery in adolescents follows strict criteria and should be proposed within an interdisciplinary team in specialized centers, including a clinical ethics committee. This review discusses the present guidelines for bariatric surgery in childhood and adolescence as well as available follow-up data for both adults and pediatric patients.