title: Percutaneous feeding gastrostomy in patients with head and neck tumors: a 5-year review.
abstract: Since the beginning of this decade major advances have taken place in the alimentation of patients with tumors of the head and neck. Gauderer and Ponsky described a percutaneous method of gastrostomy and, in 1983, a number of radiologists, including the senior author, described a percutaneous radiologic method using the Seldinger technique to create a feeding gastrostomy. This method is ideally suited for patients with advanced tumors of the head and neck because it requires neither endoscopy nor general anesthesia. Over the past 5 years, 55 patients with tumors of the head and neck have undergone this procedure. Eighty-one percent of the patients had advanced disease at initial presentation. One patient (1.8%) had a procedure-related death and another patient (1.8%) had a complication that required a laparotomy. Three patients (5.4%) had minor complications that required minimal medical attention. None of the patients required general anesthesia and an endoscopy was not required. Patient discomfort during the procedure was minimal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Ontario.
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: O'Dwyer
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Gullane
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Awerbuch
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Ho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000628:therapy*; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000628:therapy*; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D005774:Gastrostomy / Q000379:methods*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy