Bariatric Surgery in Pediatrics - Is it Time?

Abstract

In view of the increasing prevalence of obesity all over the world, we have seen morbid obesity occurring at earlier ages, and especially in adolescents. The first and main approach has been a conservative one, including change of lifestyle - implying better feeding habits and physical activity. However, our weapons to deal with this 'pandemic of obesity' have not solved a large number of cases, and we have to admit that bariatric surgery should be contemplated in special cases. Many different approaches have been devised by bariatric surgeons and although the complications over the short- and long-term are high and potentially severe, in some cases it is the only approach that has the potential to put the patient back to a more 'normal' metabolic situation with a significant weight loss. We discuss the main surgical approaches for morbid obesity and we comment on the pros and cons of each of them.