[Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. Personal experiences with Russell's method].

Feeding with nasally placed enteral feeding tubes is a method frequently used for long-term nutrition of patients with neurologically or mechanically induced swallowing disorders. Feeding tubes, however, may be unsatisfactory due to either esthetic considerations or complications such as esophagitis, bleeding or pulmonary aspiration. Recently, endoscopic techniques for placing of feeding gastrostomies without laparotomy have been introduced. We report on our experience with 46 endoscopically controlled percutaneous gastrostomies in 38 patients according to the method described by Russell. Cerebrovascular diseases and malignancies of the oropharynx were the 2 most common indications for creation of the gastrostomy. Endoscopically assisted gastrostomy was successful in 38 of 40 patients referred. One serious and two minor complications were encountered. Gastrostomy was in use for a median time span of 3 months (range 1-83 weeks). We conclude that endoscopically assisted percutaneous gastrostomy is a simple, safe, and effective means of providing enteral nutrition in patients requiring tube feeding.