[Long-term experience with percutaneous endoscopic controlled gastrostomy (PEG) in ENT tumor patients]

Percutaneous endoscopically controlled gastrostomy (PEG) enables patients suffering from a tumor of the upper aerodigestive tract to receive direct gastric feedings. The procedure also avoids the social stigma of a nasal feeding tube. The results of 630 PEG procedures used in 555 patients suffering from various head and neck cancers are reported. The mean age of the patients was 58.0 years with a range from 11 to 92 years. The PEG procedure was carried out under local anesthesia in 60% of the cases and with general anesthesia in 40%. In 512 patients the initial PEG procedure was successful while 43 of the patients require a second PEG procedure after loss of the PEG. In 19 patients the PEG procedure was not successful because of tumor obstruction or it was not possible to perform endoscopy. Twenty-four patients were successfully treated in a second or third session. Although 97% (n = 563) of all 555 patients and 92% (n = 579) of all PEG procedures were successful. The mean duration of PEG use was 243 (range: 0-2271 days). In 66 patients (10.5%) complications occurred but severe complications developed in only 8 patients (1.3%). Operative interventions were necessary in two cases. No deaths resulted from the PEG. These findings show that the PEG technique is safe to do with only few complications when performed by a skilled team.