Comparison between mushroom-type and balloon-type gastrostomy buttons

The gastrostomy button has been improved rapidly over the last ten years. The gastrostomy button was divided into two groups. The first group had a mushroom tip and, in this study, the Bard button represented this group. The other had a balloon as an internal stabilizer and the Mic-key button represented this group. The authors retrospectively studied all buttons inserted at the Royal Children's Hospital, Brisbane between 1988 and 1995. The average longevity of Bard and Mic-key buttons were 378.82 and 259.62 days respectively. Valve incompetence was the most common cause of removal of the Bard button (38%), whereas, balloon rupture was the major cause of removal of Mic-key button (44%). Each type of gastrostomy button had its own advantages and disadvantages and these special characteristics will be discussed.