Is abdominal sonography helpful in advance of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomies?

Purpose: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy was first described in 1980. It is generally excepted as method of choice for providing enteral nutrition in dysphagic patients. Overall complication rates are 27 to 39% at two months in several surveys. Diaphanization is assessed as not necessary in advance of the intervention. Our question was, whether pre-endoscopic abdominal ultrasound is helpful to avoid complications. Material and methods: From March 2010 to February 2013 we performed abdominal sonography in 125 of 568 patients, who were sent for percutaneous gastrostomy to our endoscopic unit (Group A). 69 Pati…