Laparoscopy-assisted percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement is associated with considerable complications. We added laparoscopic monitoring to improve outcome.

Thirty-four patients who had laparoscopy-assisted PEG (LAP-PEG) were reviewed. A 5 mm supraumbilical trocar and two 5 mm working ports were required for LAP-PEG. A needle was placed percutaneously into the stomach under laparoscopic and gastroscopic control. A wire was placed through the needle, encircled with a snare, and the PEG completed. The anterior wall of the stomach was then anchored to the abdominal wall.

Thirty-one subjects had cerebral palsy. Age at LAP-PEG ranged from 5 months to 25 years (mean, 8.1 years). Weight ranged from 4.7 kg to 25.9 kg (mean, 12.2 kg). In 23 patients, LAP-PEG was performed with laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. In 11 patients, it was performed for reasons such as gastric volvulus and nutritional supplementation. Mean operating time was 67 minutes, and all procedures were performed safely without intra- or postoperative complications.

LAP-PEG is our method of choice for gastrostomy because it allows the first and last parts of a conventional PEG procedure to be well controlled and safe instead of being blind.