ABSTRACT
As the epidemic of pediatric obesity has been increasing and the efficacy and safety of bariatric surgery for adults has also become evident, more consideration has been given to bariatric procedures for severely obese adolescents. From the beginning of the subspecialty of bariatric surgery, the goal of the operation has been to restrict the intake of nutrients, interfere with the absorption of nutrients that are ingested, or both. Bariatric surgery effectively creates a “tool” with which adolescents can lose one-third or more of their body mass and concomitantly reduce or eliminate most comorbidities of adolescent obesity. Bariatric programs for adolescents should include expertise in adolescent obesity, nutrition, diet, and behavioral management. Bariatric surgery essentially results in surgically enforced very low-calorie, low-carbohydrate dietary intake, thus requiring attention to an adequate intake of important macro- and micronutrients postoperatively. Patient satisfaction has generally been very good with this surgical and postoperative approach.
