Enteral feeding via PEG/PEJ in patients with ENT-diseases.

In patients with benign or malignant diseases of the larynx/pharynx causing inadequate oral food intake, maintenance of individual adequate enteral nu trition is a major medical goal. This is particularly important in patients with malignant ENT tumours, where therapeutical measures as radiatio or ch emotherapy result in further deterioration of nutritional status and consec utively of quality of life and tolerance of therapy. Due to its safe and te chnically simple route of placement, the PEC has become the preferred enter al route of choice for enteral longterm nutrition world-wide. The technical success rate is >99% with a procedure-related lethality rate of about 0%. Prospective clinical studies prove the excellent individual subjective acce ptance of this method by patients. Indications, contraindications, complica tions, technical procedures and clinical aspects of PEG placement are descr ibed in detail in the present review. Longterm enteral feeding via PEG is a ccepted as a safe, effective, easy to practise and highly acceptable method with excellent longterm results and thus distinct improvement of nutrition al status. Individual decision for PEG placement should be considered much earlier and more frequently in appropriate patients to save and further imp rove clinical and nutritional status and consecutively quality of life.