Feasibility and Reliability of Open Gastrostomy as an Old Method

Purpose: Gastrostomy for enteral nutrition is often performed endoscopically. If an endoscope or other instruments are not available or a pharyngoesophageal obstruction is seen, an open gastronomy technique can beuseful under local anesthesia using minilaparotomy. In this study, we aim to present the feasibility and reliability of this old method when needed. Materials and Methods: Twenty-eight patients were operated on using this old technique. The operations were performed under local anesthesia with a mini vertical incision (2-3 cm) just below the xiphoid process. A gastrostomy tube was inserted through the gastric wall under direct vision after the gastrotomy. The gastric wall was fastened with double-purse string sutures. The tube was taken out from the left subcostal gastric wall. All the data were evaluated retrospectively. Results: A tube gastrostomy was performed easily and safely in all patients under local anesthesia by way of a minilaparotomy. There were no observed complications. The mean operative time was 36.07 ± 10.18 minutes and all the patients tolerated feeding within 24 hours of the operation. Conclusion: A tube gastrostomy can be performed safely and easily under local anesthesia by way of a minilaparotomy when necessary. We can use this old technique when we don’t have an endoscope, other instruments or in case of an esophageal obstruction. Although this technique is safe and easy to perform, endoscopic methods should be used for tube gastrostomies