Percutaneous Endoscopic Transgastric Jejunostomy (PEG-J) Tube Placement for Levodopa-Carbidopa Intrajejunal Gel Therapy in the Interventional Radiology Suite: A Long-term Follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrojejunostomy (PEG) and radiologically inserted gastrojejunostomy (RIG) are both safe and effective techniques for gastrojejunal tube placement. The authors compared these 2 procedures in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) who required the continuous intrajejunal delivery of a levodopa/carbidopa gel suspension (LCIG). METHODS: Outcomes were retrospectively collated from 30 PEG and 12 RIG procedures performed at 2 centers in patients with advanced PD for the delivery of LCIG. RESULTS: Baseline clinical characteristics, incidence of early severe adverse events, late major complications, dropout, and the mean time-lapse of tube replacements were comparable in the PEG and RIG groups. CONCLUSION: The current results suggest that, in patients with PD, the RIG technique is as safe and effective as the endoscopic procedure, and it can be considered a valid option for patients who require LCIG when the endoscopic procedure is not available or unfeasible.