Tube Pharyngostomy—a Useful Alternative for Long-Term Enteric Decompression or Enteral Feeding

Excerpt

In the past, percutaneous cervical pharyngostomy was a well-established technique used for prolonged enteric decompression or enteric feeding prior to the introduction of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) and more recently percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy (PEJ). Thereafter, the need for the tube pharyngostomy in gastrointestinal surgery has almost disappeared—but not totally.1 On rare occasion (12 times in the senior author’s last 27 years), the need for upper gut intubation has been required in the setting of a patient in whom placement of either a PEG (no gastric reservoir) or a PEJ (inability to visualize a safe track), or even an operative tube enterostomy (frozen abdomen early postoperative) is not appropriate, possible, or safe. …