Percutaneous feeding gastrostomy in patients with head and neck tumors: a 5-year review.

Since the beginning of this decade major advances have taken place in the alimentation of patients with tumors of the head and neck. Gauderer and Ponsky described a percutaneous method of gastrostomy and, in 1983, a number of radiologists, including the senior author, described a percutaneous radiologic method using the Seldinger technique to create a feeding gastrostomy. This method is ideally suited for patients with advanced tumors of the head and neck because it requires neither endoscopy nor general anesthesia. Over the past 5 years, 55 patients with tumors of the head and neck have undergone this procedure. Eighty-one percent of the patients had advanced disease at initial presentation. One patient (1.8%) had a procedure-related death and another patient (1.8%) had a complication that required a laparotomy. Three patients (5.4%) had minor complications that required minimal medical attention. None of the patients required general anesthesia and an endoscopy was not required. Patient discomfort during the procedure was minimal.