[Indications for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in patients with disorders of the nervous system]

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is an efficient endoscopic method that ensures enteral nutrition for a longer period of time in patients who cannot take food per os. This method is also indicated in patients suffering from disorders of the central or peripheral nervous system which developed suddenly, such as a stroke or craniocerebral injuries, or gradually, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), dementia, and multiple sclerosis. It has become common practice in the cooperation between neurologists and a gastroenterologists to use PEG in patients hospitalized in a neurological ward with encephalomalacy and haemorrhage, or craniocerebral injuries (after the patient recovers from the acute stage of the disease and is transferred to a neurological ICU), as well as in patients with ALS in a progressive stage. We gradually extend the indications of PEG for other patients with neurological disorders such as patients suffering from dementia, progressive multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and progressive polyneuropathy. Of 62 patients hospitalized in a neurological ward during a period of 4.5 years, 56 patients suffered from sudden disorders of the nervous system (strokes and craniocerebral injuries) and 6 patients had gradually progressing neurological diseases (ALS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, dementia, and polyneuropathy).