Post written by Shajan Peter, MD, from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Basil Hirschowitz Center of Advanced Endoscopy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.

We examined cases over 5 years of enteral tube feeding placement. We further divided the patients into cohorts for the traditional open laparotomy approach, laparoscopic jejunostomy, and direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy (DPEJ).

We focused on procedural success, defined as successful placement of a functioning jejunostomy tube on the first attempt, and monitored for early and late postprocedural adverse events.

The motivation stemmed from a critical need to improve patient outcomes in enteral nutrition. We noticed a gap in comprehensive comparisons between DPEJ and traditional surgical methods. Our goal was to fill this gap, providing clear data on efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness to guide clinical decisions.

Our study revealed a notably high success rate of 96.9% for DPEJ that is quite comparable with that of surgical methods. DPEJ also proved to be a generally safe procedure with minimal adverse events, such as a low incidence of bleeding requiring transfusion and perforation and infection rates akin to those of surgical approaches.

Our study reaffirms the high success rate of DPEJ and highlights its safety profile and cost advantages. It challenges the traditional preference for surgical interventions, suggesting that DPEJ could be a preferable firstline option for many patients in the future.

The next logical step would be a prospective study, possibly a randomized controlled trial, to further validate these findings. In addition, exploring patient quality of life and long-term outcomes post-DPEJ could provide deeper insights into its benefits over surgical methods.

Graphical Abstract

Read the full article online.

The information presented in Endoscopedia reflects the opinions of the authors and does not represent the position of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). ASGE expressly disclaims any warranties or guarantees, expressed or implied, and is not liable for damages of any kind in connection with the material, information, or procedures set forth.