PEG placement in patients with ALS

Introduction: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is one of the most common techniques to guarantee enteral nutrition in patients who are not able to eat. This procedure is an important therapeutic tool to treat dysphagia in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Materials and methods: From January 2005 to December 2010, 47 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis were referred to the Artificial Nutrition Unit, University Hospital, Siena for percutaneous en-doscopic gastrostomy. These study participants included 24 women and 23 men with a mean age of 68.5 years (range 39-85 years). Results: The total number of days of enteral nutrition by percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy was 23,608, with a mean of 491 days (range 1-1,836). In 9 patients the treatment lasted less than 100 days. In all patients nutritional indexes and body mass index improved 3 months after treatment compared to baseline. Conclusions: We also observed that the decision for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy placement should be taken early in the course of the disease as restricted pulmonary function will reduce the chance of successful placement. © 2012 SINPE-GASAPE.