Adolescent Weight Loss Surgery
- Adolescent patients lose approximately 30 percent of their starting weight after surgery
- Recommended for patients ages 14 and over with a BMI above 120 percent of the 95th percentile for their age and gender, possibly with other weight-related conditions
Based on the comprehensive, high-quality approach to care at the Stony Brook Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Loss Center, we have been accredited as a center with Adolescent Qualifications, the highest level of accreditation available.
Bariatric and metabolic surgery for adolescents has been demonstrated to provide long-lasting weight loss and improvement in weight-related medical problems. Several high-quality research articles highlight that the benefits of surgery in adolescent patients can be even more pronounced than the benefits experienced by adult patients.
Our multidisciplinary program at Stony Brook includes the participation of adolescent medicine experts. After comprehensive evaluation, adolescent patients and their families are offered several medical and surgical options for weight management. Our bariatric surgeons have extensive experience in caring for adolescents with excess weight.
Facts About Adolescent Weight Loss Surgery
- Similar weight loss success compared to adults: Younger patients, 14-19 years of age, have similar weight loss success compared to adult patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Scientific evidence suggests that adolescent patients lose approximately 25 to 35 percent of their initial weight following surgery, which is similar to the results demonstrated by adults.
- Long-lasting weight loss: Surgery has established long-term weight loss results. This has been shown repeatedly in large studies of adult patients. We now have evidence to support that this long-term benefit is also seen for adolescent patients, with an average loss of 30 percent of pre-surgery weight.
- Adolescents experience a high chance of comorbidity improvement: Recent published evidence shows that younger patients have a higher chance of diabetes remission and normalization of their blood pressure, compared to adults. Abnormalities in lipid panel, blood glucose and blood pressure can be commonly seen with excess weight, even in younger patients. Bariatric surgery can provide a significant positive change in these conditions. Studies show that these abnormalities can be resolved in 65 to 95 percent of adolescent patients within three years after surgery.
- Bariatric surgery is very safe, and even safer for younger patients: The overall safety of bariatric surgery has been shown in several large scientific reports from across the world and the United States. Complication rates with surgery are very low, and serious early side effects are seen in less than 2 percent of patients. Research on adolescents suggests that surgery can be performed with a very brief hospital stay and even lower rates of adverse events.
- Endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics: Recent guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics place strong emphasis on the benefit of bariatric surgery for younger patients. The Academy recommends that bariatric surgery should be considered for patients ages 14 and over, with BMI more than 120 percent of the 95th percentile for age and gender, who may also have other conditions related to excess weight (such as diabetes type 2, hypertension, high cholesterol and sleep apnea).
