Esophagectomy in patients with prior percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube placement.

Background: The impact of preoperative percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement in patients undergoing esophagectomy is uncertain.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed in consecutive patients who underwent esophagectomy. Patients were divided into groups based on whether or not they had preoperative PEG placement.

Results: One hundred seventeen patients were studied, 102 without (PEG-) and 15 with PEG+ before PEG tube placement. The overall morbidity and mortality rates were 38% and 3%, respectively. The use of a gastric conduit was similar between groups (94% PEG- vs 87% PEG+, P = .27), and the presence of a PEG before PEG tube placement was not prohibitive in any case. Anastomotic leak rates were similar between groups (11% PEG- vs 15% PEG+, P = .65), and there were no leaks from previous PEG sites.

Conclusion: It appears that preoperative PEG tube placement has no adverse effect on the performance of esophagectomy and may be considered in highly selected patients with poor nutritional status.