Radiologic percutaneous gastrostomy and related enterostomies

Radiologic percutaneous gastrostomy (PG) provides access to the gastrointestinal tract for nutrition, decompression, or enteric manipulation. The procedure is common and may be performed de novo, if the patient is not a candidate for PG, or after unsuccessful percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy attempt. Outgrowths of PG include percutaneous gastroenterostomy or direct puncture of the duodenum, jejunum, or ileum; percutaneous cecostomy is used for decompression of the colon. An interplay of fluoroscopy, ultrasound, and computed tomography permits guidance for virtually any patient to undergo PG. PG is popular because the likelihood of success is very high, and the complication rate is quite low.