Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for a two-and half year old morbidly obese child

Abstract

Introduction: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is an accepted technique in bariatric surgery for reducing obesity. Recent reports indicate it to be effective even in children but it has not been tried in very young children.

Presentation of case: We report here a case of a 2 and half years old child subjected to LSG for his morbid obesity and associated obstructive sleep apnea and bowing of legs. LSG was performed after investigations ruled out hereditary or genetic causes of obesity. The procedure was well tolerated without any complications and 2 months post surgery, the obstructive sleep apnea decreased substantially. The child was followed up for two years. At the last follow up BMI was drastically reduced from a pre surgical value of 41.1-24kg/m(2) at 24 months post surgery.

Discussion: Prior to our report the youngest child to undergo sleeve gastrectomy was 5 years old from Saudi Arabia. We observed LSG to be safe and effective in reducing obesity and related co morbidities in a two and half year's old child.

Conclusion: The results suggest that LSG can be a safe and effective alternative for weight control in morbidly obese children even of less than 3 years of age. However more studies and long term follow up is essential for monitoring the growth and development of children subjected to LSG.

Keywords: BMI reduction; Child; Laparoscopic sleeve gasttrectomy; Morbid obesity.