Enteral access by double-balloon enteroscopy: an alternative method of direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy placement.

BACKGROUND: Although direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunal feeding tube placement is an increasingly accepted method of providing small-bowel access for long-term enteral nutrition, it is reliant on push enteroscopy and remains a technically challenging procedure with significant failure rates. Double-balloon enteroscopy, with its ability to provide controlled small-bowel intubation may facilitate direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunal tube placement. AIMS AND METHODS: We report a prospective series of ten consecutive cases of double-balloon enteroscopy-assisted direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunal placement, accompanied by a step-by-step illustrated overview of the technique.
RESULTS: Direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunal tube placement by double-balloon enteroscopy was successful in nine of the ten attempted cases. In the first case, direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunal placement was abandoned due to inadequate transillumination; there were no procedure-related complications in any of our patients.
CONCLUSIONS: This first reported prospective case series of double-balloon enteroscopy-assisted direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunal placement shows a promisingly high success rate; larger comparative studies are required to clearly establish any advantages over the originally described push enteroscopy method.