At 10 years of age, Kshitiji Jindger is the youngest patient in Asia to undergo weight loss surgery. According to the Times of India, the operation was performed last month by laparoscopic and obesity surgeon Dr Mahendra Narwaria.
According to Dr Narwaria, the boy had a normal body weight at birth, but started gaining excess weight at two years of age. Then, his weight basically doubled every other year. At the time of surgery, the boy weighed 127 kg (279 lbs) and had a body mass index (BMI) of 54.3. This measurement indicates severe obesity, as a healthy BMI range would be 22 to 23.
The procedure performed was laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, also known as the gastric sleeve. With this procedure, the size of this stomach is reduced by approximately 80 per cent. The remaining stomach resembles the shape of a long tube, or sleeve. The intestines are left intact and the natural stomach outlet is preserved.
The gastric sleeve is a restrictive weight loss procedure that limits the amount of food that can be eaten at any one time. The procedure has been gaining in popularity as it does not involve a medical implant as with gastric banding or intestinal rerouting as with gastric bypass surgery.
Although childhood obesity is growing at an alarming rate, it is still uncommon to resort to surgical intervention even during the teenage years. In the United States, few bariatric surgeons will operate on people less than 18 years of age.
Since having weight loss surgery, the boy has lost 13.5 kg (29 lbs). He hopes that after being unable to participate in sports because of his weight, he will soon be able to play his favorite sport cricket.
