This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Baseline BMI may be strong predictor of nadir BMI after adolescent bariatric surgery
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Regardless of starting BMI, adolescents who underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass experienced a 37% decrease in BMI and improvements or reversal of cardiovascular risk factors one year after the procedure, according to new study findings.
However, the rate of change in absolute BMI units varied significantly by starting BMI, leading researchers to conclude that “late referral for bariatric surgery for children at the highest BMI values may preclude reversal of obesity.”
Thomas R. Inge, MD, PhD, of the Comprehensive Weight Management Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and colleagues assessed the clinical characteristics of 61 adolescents who underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass at a single pediatric center from 2002 to 2007. The researchers categorized adolescents into three groups based on starting BMI: 40 to 54.9 (n=23); 55 to 64.9 (n=21); or 65 to 95 (n=17).
The overall mean BMI before surgery was 60.2. BMI decreased by 37.4% one year after surgery (P<.001). However, only 17% achieved a nonobese BMI of <30 after one year.
The researchers observed varying one-year rates of change in absolute BMI units based on preoperative BMI: 31 for BMI of 40 to 54.9; 38 for BMI of 55 to 64.9; and 47 for BMI of 65 to 95.
Percent BMI change was not significantly different between preoperative BMI groups: –37.2% for BMI of 40 to 54.9; –36.8% for BMI of 55 to 64.9; and –37.7% for BMI of 65 to 95 (P=.8762).
Regardless of BMI, the researchers observed significant improvements in blood pressure, total cholesterol, fasting insulin and triglyceride levels; mean albumin levels remained in the normal range.
Inge TR. J Pediatr. 2009;156:103-108.