NEW YORK, Jan. 31 U.S. researchers say they have determined lap band surgery is apparently an effective procedure to combat adolescent obesity.The research at the New York University Medical Center and School of Medicine -- the first to evaluate the procedure in patients under the age of 17 -- indicates patients on average lost about 50 percent of their excess weight one year after surgery.The study involved 53 morbidly obese adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17, most of them girls, researchers said, noting a person is considered morbidly obese when they become about 100 pounds overweight.The gastric banding procedure places an inflatable silicon ring around the upper portion of the stomach, creating a smaller stomach that helps patients feel full and limits the amount of food they eat. The ring is connected to a port that is placed underneath the skin at the time of surgery.The minimally invasive procedure -- currently approved only for adults -- takes less than an hour, is reversible, adjustable, and requires no cutting or rerouting of the gastrointestinal tract.The study appears in the January issue of the Journal of Pediatric Surgery.Copyright 2007 by UPI
