Effect of gastrostomy on growth in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities

Chronic malnutrition and growth failure are frequent consequences of feeding difficulties in neurodevelopmentally disabled children. Gastrostomy feeding has been used successfully to alleviate chronic malnutrition as well as distress and frustration associated with feeding. Unfortunately, caregivers are often resistant to gastrostomy placement. In order to determine the impact of gastrostomies in 20 children with neurodevelopmental disability (NDD), a questionnaire was used to collect caregivers' perceptions both before and after gastrostomy. The questionnaire assessed caregivers' retrospective perceptions of quality of life, feeding difficulties, and the burdens and benefits of gastrostomies. To determine impact on growth, height and weight were measured once before and three times after gastrostomy (at six, 12, and 24 months). The number of times a child was fed and the amount of time spent feeding decreased significantly following gastrostomy (p<0.001 and p<0.05, respectively). Growth for all children improved following gastrostomy (p<0.001). Pre-gastrostomy problems improved significantly following gastrostomy, as did caregivers' perceptions of quality of life for both themselves and their child (p<0.001). These results indicate that gastrostomy has a positive impact on growth for neurodevelopmentally disabled children, and on quality of life for both children and caregivers. Caregivers may find these results encouraging if they are faced with a decision about gastrostomy placement for their child.