Fluoroscopy-guided Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy in Children: A Simple and Safe Technique.

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is a widely used minimally invasive procedure. However, PEG is difficult in neurologically impaired patients due to scoliosis with a high-riding stomach and intestinal dilatation. Fluoroscopy-guided PEG (F-PEG) is expected to avoid PEG-related complications such as intestinal injury and malpositioned tube placement. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the feasibility and safety of F-PEG in children. Twenty-one handicapped pediatric patients underwent F-PEG from January 2012 to December 2014 at our hospital. Among them, 6 had scoliosis, 7 had a high-riding stomach, and 3 had gastric volvulus. F-PEG was performed in all 21 patients without any major complications. The median procedure duration was 22 minutes. In 1 patient with severe scoliosis (Cobb angle, 118 degrees) and a high-riding stomach, F-PEG was safely performed. In conclusion, F-PEG is a simple and feasible technique, and can reduce the risk of PEG-related complications in handicapped pediatric patients.