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Published on: February 28, 2025
Pattern of Biliary Disease Following Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy in Adolescents
Jun Tashiro1, Arunachalam A Thenappan1, Evan P Nadler1
1Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA.
Objective:
The use of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has risen steadily as a treatment for adolescents with obesity. This study determined whether obstructive biliary complications after rapid, LSG-related weight loss occur similarly in adolescents compared with adults.
Methods:
Between 2010 and 2019, 309 patients underwent LSG. Demographics and clinical factors, including pre- and perioperative BMI and weight changes, were included.
Results:
Overall, 21 patients (7%) had post-LSG biliary disease (BD), of whom 13 presented with acute pancreatitis (AP) and 8 with biliary colic. No differences existed between those with BD (n = 21) and the remaining cohort (n = 288). Patients with BD were 16.3 (SD 2.4) years of age at LSG, with a preoperative BMI of 49.3 (SD 6.7) kg/m2 . Preoperative excess BMI loss was 7.1% (SD 11.3%). An ultrasound revealed gallstones (71%) and sludge or crystals (12%). Eighteen patients underwent cholecystectomy between 4 weeks and 29 months after LSG.
Conclusions:
Pediatric patients present with BD at a similar rate after LSG compared with adults. The majority of adolescents, however, manifest with AP. Thus, pancreatitis should be high on the differential diagnosis list when evaluating post-LSG abdominal symptoms. Additional studies are warranted to elucidate the pathophysiology of post-LSG AP for prevention in the future because its etiology may or may not be solely related to BD.
