The number of young people who are seriously overweight is increasing sharply, but in the Netherlands young people are not eligible for bariastric surgery. Can stomach reduction surgery also become part of the care for obese 13 to 17 year olds who respond insufficiently to lifestyle guidance alone? The Máxima MC (MMC) will investigate this together with the Maastricht UMC+ (MUMC+) in the study TEEN-BEST.
Good results in young people
In other countries, good results are seen from bariatric surgery in severely overweight young people. In the Netherlands, these operations may only be performed on people under the age of 18 as part of a study. The TEEN-BEST study investigates whether 2 types of stomach reductions, the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and the Gastric Sleeve, are effective in young people and whether they can be performed safely. OVascular surgeon and initiator Dr. François van Dielen of MMC is collaborating with COACH in this study, the Center for Overweight Adolescent and Children’s Healthcare at MUMC+. COACH is one of the 5 Dutch centers of expertise in the field of overweight in young people, which has many years of experience in guiding young people to improve their lifestyle.
Strict selection procedure
There is a strict selection procedure for participation in TEEN-BEST. A young person can only participate in this study if he or she has been referred by a paediatrician in a center of expertise after all relevant treatments have been tried and proved ineffective.Only a small percentage actually qualify for surgery. This mainly concerns young people who before their 18e years of age already have diabetes or other weight-related conditions.
Guidance program of 5 years
After the gastric reduction operation, a 5-year guidance program by COACH follows, in which the young person is taught to deal with the consequences of a gastric reduction. This guidance includes support from a surgeon, paediatrician, psychologist and dietician. In addition, attention is paid to the young person’s family. In this way, the young person is encouraged as much as possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Source: Maastricht UMC+
