• A Chiò, R Galletti, C Finocchiaro, D Righi, M A Ruffino, A Calvo, N Di Vito, P Ghiglione, A A Terreni, and R Mutani.
• Second Division of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, via Cherasco 15, 10126 Turin, Italy. achio@usa.net
• J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 2004 Apr 1; 75 (4): 645-7.

BackgroundEnteral nutrition may be required in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and is usually achieved by percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). As PEG is not indicated in patients with severe respiratory impairment, an alternative is percutaneous radiological gastrostomy (PRG), involving air insufflation into the stomach under fluoroscopic guidance for tube insertion.ObjectiveTo evaluate the safety of PRG and its effect on survival and respiratory function in ALS patients with respiratory failure.Methods25 consecutive ALS patients with severe dysphagia and forced vital capacity (FVC) <50% underwent PRG after October 2000. They were compared with 25 consecutive ALS patients with FVC <50% who underwent PEG before October 2000. Respiratory function was evaluated before and after the procedure.ResultsThe two groups were similar for all relevant characteristics. PRG was successful in all cases, PEG in 23/25. One patient in each group died after the procedure. The mean survival time after the procedure was 204 days in the PRG group and 85 days in the PEG group (p<0.004). Respiratory function decreased more in the PEG group than in the PRG group (p<0.02).ConclusionsPRG appears to be safer than PEG in ALS patients with moderate or severe respiratory impairment, and is followed by a longer survival.

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