Study: Lap Band Surgery Works for Youths

Stomach banding surgery is effective for adolescents, according to a new U.S. study.

Patients younger than 17 who underwent lap band surgery shed 50 percent of their excess weight in the first year, according to a study by researchers at the New York University Medical Center, appearing in the January issue of the Journal of Pediatric Surgery.

The gastric banding procedure places an inflatable silicon ring around the upper portion of the stomach, creating a smaller stomach, which helps patients feel full and limits the amount of food they eat.

In the study, 53 patients between age 13 and 17, who were about 100 pounds overweight, received the surgery. The participants showed significant weight loss and also kept off their weight.

The new data suggest that the lap band procedure is both effective for adolescents and causes fewer side effects than more invasive gastric bypass surgery, the study’s authors said.