BALLOON PYLOROPLASTY IN CHILDREN WITH DELAYED GASTRIC-EMPTYING

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate initial experience with balloon pyloroplasty fo r delayed gastric emptying in children. DESIGN: A retrospective review . SETTING: A tertiary care pediatric hospital. PATIENTS: Seven childre n with scintiscan-proven delayed gastric emptying that was refractory to maximal medical therapy. INTERVENTIONS: Balloon pyloroplasty under fluoroscopic guidance, mostly on an outpatient basis. For 1 child, the procedure was endoscopically monitored also. OUTCOME MEASURES: Postop erative symptoms and physical findings, gastric emptying and complicat ions. RESULTS: Of the 7 children who underwent balloon pyloroplasty, 3 were rendered asymptomatic and 2 more were symptomatically improved. Four of the original 7 patients underwent postdilation scintigraphy, a nd all 4 showed normalization of the gastric emptying time. There were no complications. CONCLUSIONS: Initial experience with fluoroscopical ly-guided balloon pyloroplasty indicates that it is a safe and easily tolerated procedure, worthy of further study.