Experience with image-guided gastrostomy and gastrojejunostomy tubes in children and adolescents with primary psychiatric illness.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the clinical experience with G/GJ tubes in child and adolescent psychiatry patients with disordered eating.


METHODS
Health Records and Image-Guided Therapy databases (1995-2005) identified patients with primary psychiatric illness who received radiologically placed G/GJ tubes for refeeding. Patient charts were reviewed for relevant data.


RESULTS
Nine patients who were 11-17 years old had G/GJ tubes inserted for refeeding as a result of their psychopathology. Prior to G/GJ tube insertion, adolescent inpatients were fed by NG/NJ tube for 0.5-7.3 months (mean 3.1 months) and subsequently fed by G/GJ tube for 5-60 months (mean 29 months) on an outpatient basis. No major complications or episodes of intentional tube manipulation/removal occurred. G/GJ tube feeding was effective in restoring and/or maintaining weight.


CONCLUSIONS
Image-guided enterostomy tubes are a safe and well-tolerated method for feeding pediatric patients with psychiatric disorders and food refusal, and allow outpatient management of underlying psychopathology.
Korczak
Daphne J
DJ
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. daphne.korczak@sickkids.ca
Connolly
Bairbre
B
Baron
Tara
T
Katzman
Debra K
DK
Bernstein
Stacey
S
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D015390:Gastric Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects; D005774:Gastrostomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted