Page 90 - Effects and Efficacy of (Laparoscopic) Gastrostomy Placement in Children - Josephine Franken

In analysis of nutritional status, the increase in weight-for- height percentiles did not reach statistical significance. This may be caused by our follow-up time of 3 months, which may have been too short to demonstrate significant weight gain. A retrospective survey of 300 children undergoing GP in our institute with a follow-up time of 2.63 years demonstrated a significant increase in weight-for-height percentile (p<0.0005).
Limitation of this study was that 50% of patients with initial preoperative evaluation of GER did not undergo the postoperative test and could not be included in our analysis of MII-pH results. Most of these missing patients were caused by refusal or inability of children or caregivers to participate in the postoperative tests, mainly because of the need for readmission to the hospital and anticipated burdening of the child. There were no differences between participants and non-participants with regard to main underlying pathology and preoperative weight-for-height values and height-for-age values. Furthermore, postoperative changes in GER symptoms and weight and height values were similar in the non-responders group.
In conclusion, GER is frequently encountered in children undergoing GP, especially in children with NI. The relationship between GP and the occurrence of GER is complex. In this study we presented results of a prospective evaluation of GER before and after GP with 24-hour MII-pH monitoring. GER was slightly aggravated in patients without preoperative pathological GER, while pathological GER disappeared in other patients after GP. In conclusion, overall, GP does not induce GER.
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