Adolescent Bariatric Surgery

For many adolescents who are diagnosed with obesity, the process of losing weight can feel hopeless and overwhelming. Obesity’s causes are not always easy to pinpoint or remedy, and it can lead to other conditions that make this process harder, such as diabetes, sleep apnea and joint pain. If your child has not succeeded in trying to lose weight through other means, or if he or she is suffering from severe weight-related complications, our team is here to consult with you to see if weight loss surgery is a good treatment choice. We are based in the only weight-loss surgery facility in a children’s hospital on the West Coast that has been accredited by the American College of Surgeons.

The procedures we offer are not for everyone. While weight loss surgery can effectively treat obesity, it is usually only recommended for patients with severe obesity.

Weight loss surgery, also called bariatric surgery, alters the stomach or intestines to treat severe obesity. When combined with lifestyle changes, family support and the expertise of the multidisciplinary team at the world-class Center for Healthy Weight at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, most adolescent patients successfully keep their weight off for the long term. In 2004, Packard Children’s was the first children’s hospital in California to offer weight loss surgery to adolescents. As of October 2016, it is the only West Coast children’s hospital accredited by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), in partnership with the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Our multidisciplinary team of clinicians are trained to treat the unique needs of adolescent weight loss surgery patients. Our team also works closely with the adult Bariatric Surgery and Medical Weight Loss Center of Excellence at Stanford and shares the same diagnostic and treatment protocols.