Feasibility and Safety of Infracolic Fluoroscopically Guided Percutaneous Radiologic Gastrostomy

We study the feasibility and safety of infracolic fluoroscopically guided percutaneous gastrostomy when patient anatomy prevents conventional supracolic puncture. From September 2004 to April 2007, 508 gastrostomy and gastrojejunostomy catheters were inserted in a single institution, and in six patients, the position of the transverse colon prevented conventional supracolic puncture. All were male, with a mean age of 57 years. Four patients had head and neck cancer and two had neurologic conditions. With fluoroscopic guidance, a 14-F gastrostomy tube was inserted with T-fastener gastropexy caudal to the colon. The medical records of patients treated with this technique were reviewed for demographics, indication, technique, complications, function of gastrostomy, timing of removal of the gastrostomy, and subsequent hospital admissions. All procedures were technically successful and there was no procedure-related morbidity or mortality. The mean follow-up was 16 months (range, 7-25 months) and the mean duration of therapy was 7 months. Five patients had their gastrostomy removed after clinical improvement and one of these patients had a gastrostomy reinserted cephalic to the colon after recurrence of head and neck cancer. Two patients died of disease progression and one still had the gastrostomy in position. No patient was subsequently admitted for a complication of the technique or catheter malfunction. In conclusion, infracolic percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy with gastropexy is feasible in patients without an access route cephalic to the transverse colon.