Risks and Benefits of Gastrostomy in Non-Motor Neurone Disease Progressive Neurological Diseases: A Systematic Review

This review aimed to synthesise current evidence on the effects of gastrostomy in Parkinson's disease (PD) and parkinsonism, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Huntington's disease (HD).

Evidence regarding the risks and benefits of gastrostomy insertion and use in progressive neurological diseases, excluding Motor Neurone Disease (MND), is lacking, causing gastrostomy decision-making discussions to arise as a matter of debate in practice.

Three databases (Web of Science, Ovid Medline and Embase) were searched for research on the impacts of gastrostomy, including survival, complication rates, nutrition changes, in adults with progressive neurological diseases, excluding MND. Quality was assessed using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Quality Criteria Checklist: Primary Research, and a narrative synthesis was conducted.

Twelve (n = 12) studies were eligible for inclusion, with either retrospective cohort (n = 12) or cross-sectional (n = 1) design, examining the effects of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) (n = 8), radiologically inserted gastrostomy (RIG) (n = 1) or gastrostomy not further defined (n = 4) in adults with PD (n = 6), parkinsonism (n = 3), MS (n = 3), or HD (n = 3). There was variability in outcomes and comparators with inconclusive results. Quality was assessed as positive (n = 3) or neutral (n = 9). Gastrostomy appears to be associated with increased care needs in the population of interest.

Gastrostomy insertion and use in this cohort is poorly investigated. High-quality prospective studies, especially with well-defined nutrition-related outcome measures, and robust statistical analyses are needed to determine the potential benefits of gastrostomy in this population.

PROSPERO: CRD42024604136.