Open gastrostomy by mini-laparotomy: a comparative study.

Background: Gastrostomy tube feeding is the best option for long lasting nutritional support in patients with dysphagia caused by obstructive tumours of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and ooesophagus or neuromuscular diseases. However, these severely compromised patients often present severe respiratory risks, precluding the use of general anesthesia, sedation or even endoscopy. A simplified open gastrostomy (SOG) under local anesthesia has been in practice in our institution, especially for patients with severe neuromuscular diseases and continuous non-invasive ventilatory support. In this study, we try to compare the surgical outcomes of this technique, with the classical Stamm gastrostomy (SG).

Material And Methods: This simplified technique uses a minimal vertical midline incision (3 cm), just below the xyphoid process, under local anesthesia. The gastrostomy tube is passed by a left lateral stab wound, inserted in a double purse-string in the gastric wall and pulled to the anterior abdominal wall. No sutures between the stomach and the peritoneum are placed. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical records of 63 consecutive gastrostomies performed upon a 3-year period, 23 of which were by SOG.

Results: The SG was performed mainly in oncological patients, and SOG in patients with neuromuscular diseases (p < 0.001). In the SOG group, 95,4% (n = 22) of the patients were ASA IV, compared with 74,4% (n = 29) in SG (p = 0,03). The mean operative time was shorter in the simplified technique (37 vs 60 min; p = 0,01). All the surgeries in the SOG group were performed exclusively with local anesthesia and in the Stamm procedure, 47,5% required invasive ventilatory support (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences regarding in-hospital morbi-mortality (p = 0,18). The patients were able to receive adequate nutritional support, and the overall satisfaction of the patients and family/caregivers is very good.

Conclusion: The simplified mini-laparotomy gastrostomy is a safe and effective alternative to other approaches. The association of local anesthesia with a minimal surgical offense and a short operative time render its effectiveness, even in high-risk patients.