BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Oropharyngeal cancer is one of those cancers with increasing incidence, and the therapeutic choices remain controversial. This study aims to evaluate the influence of changes in the primary treatment on the prognosis of oropharyngeal cancer patients. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A total of 135 patients treated for oropharyngeal cancer in a single institution from 2004 to 2017 were analyzed in this study. Disease-free survival rate and the 3-, 5-year survival rates were calculated according to various radical primary treatments, which included concurrent chemo-radiation or radiation therapy, and surgery. Other outcomes including functional outcomes and treatment duration were also reported. RESULTS: The proportion of patients who were no-evidence-of-disease state at the last follow up was 97.8% for the group who underwent surgery as radical primary treatment, followed by concurrent chemo-radiation or radiation therapy (84.1%). The five-year survival rate was 0.7963 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.6746–0.8765] for the concurrent chemo-radiation or radiation therapy group and 0.9488 (95% CI: 0.8093–0.9870) for the surgery group. When surgery was chosen as radical primary treatment for appropriately selected patients, approximately 30% of the patients could avoid radiation therapy. Gastrostomy or admission for supportive care as functional outcome showed no significant difference between treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Our results show various treatment outcomes depending on the radical primary treatment. These results can be used in clinical decisions and patient counselling.
Disease-Free Survival ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrostomy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Methods ; Oropharyngeal Neoplasms* ; Prognosis ; Survival Analysis ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome

No abstract available.
Gastrostomy*

Patients with dysphagia often have difficulty in supplying adequate nutrition orally, and thus they often use gastrostomy for nutrition support. If the nutrition affects the deterioration of the disease, as in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the majority of patients will have a gastrostomy tube for proper nutrition. To prevent complications from gastrostomy tubes, it is important to educate the caregiver or patient about how to properly manage it. If these patients opt for home care because of financial or cultural reasons, it will be difficult for their healthcare team to observe them closely, leading to complications due to lax tube management. In this case, appropriate management education becomes more important. This paper reports an extremely rare case of duodenal intussusception caused by a migrated percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy (PRG) tube in a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using simultaneous oral and enteral nutrition. The patient was treated successfully with urgent tube removal using the air reduction maneuver. This case highlights the importance of gastrostomy management.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ; Caregivers ; Deglutition Disorders ; Education ; Enteral Nutrition ; Gastrostomy* ; Home Care Services ; Humans ; Intussusception* ; Motor Neuron Disease ; Patient Care Team

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the difference in micronutrient levels between oral feeding and enteral feeding in chronic stroke patients to assess the risks of enteral feeding. METHODS: Patients with chronic stroke who were admitted to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine between January 2011 and June 2012 were enrolled. The serum concentrations of iron, copper, zinc, folate, and vitamin B12, as well as the absolute CD4 and CD8 lymphocyte counts, were assessed. RESULTS: Of the 73 patients enrolled in this study, 50 were fed orally, while the other 23 were fed through a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) or nasogastric (NG) tube. The serum concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate were significantly higher in the enteral feeding group than in the oral feeding group. However, the serum concentration of zinc was significantly lower in the enteral feeding group. CONCLUSION: There is little difference between enteral feeding and oral feeding in terms of micronutrient provision except that the serum concentration of zinc in the enteral feeding group was significantly lower than that in the oral feeding group. Clinicians should recognize that chronic stroke patients who require tube feeding have a risk of micronutrient deficiency. Early detection of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency is important for providing the necessary nutrients.
Copper ; Enteral Nutrition* ; Folic Acid ; Gastrostomy ; Humans ; Iron ; Lymphocyte Count ; Malnutrition ; Micronutrients* ; Rehabilitation ; Stroke* ; Vitamin B 12 ; Zinc

Buried bumper syndrome is a rare but potentially severe complication of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube insertion. Though this complication is uncommon, it may lead to pressure necrosis, bleeding, perforation, peritonitis, sepsis, or death. Each case of buried bumper syndrome is unique in terms of patient comorbidities and anatomic positioning of the buried bumper. For this reason, many approaches have been described in the management of buried bumper syndrome. In this case report, we describe the case of an adolescent Caucasian female who developed buried bumper syndrome three years after undergoing percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy insertion. We review diagnosis and management of buried bumper syndrome and describe a novel technique for bumper removal in which we use a guide wire in combination with external traction to maintain a patent gastrostomy lumen while removing the internal percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy bumper.
Adolescent ; Catheterization* ; Comorbidity ; Diagnosis ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Gastroenterology ; Gastrostomy ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Pediatrics ; Peritonitis ; Sepsis ; Traction

The majority of children with cerebral palsy (CP) have feeding difficulties and are especially prone to malnutrition. The early involvement of a multidisciplinary team should aim to prevent malnutrition and provide adequate nutritional support. Thorough nutritional assessment, including body composition, should be a prerequisite for the nutritional intervention. As in typically-developed children nutritional support should start with dietary advice and the modification of oral feeding, if safe and acceptable. However, for prolonged feeding, in the presence of unsafe swallowing and inadequate oral intake, enteral nutrition should be promptly initiated and early gastrostomy placement should be evaluated and discussed with parents/caregivers. Gastrointestinal problems (oropharyngeal dysfunction, gastroesophageal disease, and constipation) in children with CP are frequent and should be actively detected and adequately treated as they can further worsen the feeding process and nutritional status.
Body Composition ; Cerebral Palsy ; Child ; Deglutition ; Diet Therapy ; Enteral Nutrition ; Gastrostomy ; Humans ; Malnutrition ; Nutrition Assessment ; Nutritional Status ; Nutritional Support

Continuous duodenal levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel delivery by a gastrostomy infusion system improves control of Parkinson’s disease. The overall complication rates of percutaneous endoscopic gastrojejunostomy were reported to be 41% and 59% for immediate and delayed adverse events, respectively. A 72-year-old woman underwent percutaneous endoscopic gastrojejunostomy using the delivery system noted above. Abdominal pain and vomiting occurred 3 months later. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed a longitudinal ulcer extending from the lower gastric body to the ileum end, with small intestinal telescoping. Colonoscopy showed a large bezoar of food residue that was attached around the tip of the tube, reaching the ascending colon, which may have acted as an anchor. Thus, the gastric antrum and small intestine were shortened with telescoping. This complication was resolved by crushing the bezoar with forceps during colonoscopy and can be prevented by consuming a fiber-free diet and periodic exchanges of the tube using esophagogastroduodenoscopy.
Abdominal Pain ; Aged ; Bezoars ; Colon ; Colon, Ascending ; Colonoscopy ; Diet ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Female ; Gastric Bypass ; Gastrostomy ; Humans ; Ileum ; Intestine, Small ; Pyloric Antrum ; Surgical Instruments ; Ulcer ; Vomiting

Radiation therapy is a common and effective treatment for various types of head and neck cancers. On the other hand, it usually leads to radiation therapy-induced dysphagia, which manifests as symptoms of obstruction or difficulty in swallowing. Dysphagia may cause several clinical problems, including depression and anxiety disorder, which can degrade a patient's quality of life (QOL). Furthermore, dysphagia may result in malnutrition, dehydration and weight loss, and eventually accelerate the disease. Therefore, it is important to identify the options for measurement and monitoring the nutritional status of dysphagia patients and determine clinically feasible interventions for nutritional supplement. A careful review of the literature provided several important implications. A nasogastric (NG) tube and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) are useful options for providing nutritional supplement. In addition, continuous monitoring should be given to patients undergoing enteral nutritional support to check the degree to which nutrition supply, aspiration pneumonia or intrinsic enteral nutrition is supplemented. Several special forms of dysphagia diets may also serve as well-balanced nutrition care. Dysphagia patients may be provided with oral nutrition supplement (ONS), including intensified nutritional element, coupled with their preference for tastes and types of viscosity texture.
Anxiety Disorders ; Deglutition ; Deglutition Disorders* ; Dehydration ; Depression ; Diet ; Enteral Nutrition ; Gastrostomy ; Hand ; Head ; Humans ; Malnutrition ; Neck ; Nutritional Status ; Nutritional Support* ; Pneumonia, Aspiration ; Quality of Life ; Viscosity ; Weight Loss

Tuberculosis rarely involves the esophagus, and most esophageal tuberculosis occurs secondary to adjacent tuberculous lymphadenitis. An esophago-mediastinal fistula is a very unusual complication of tuberculous lymphadenitis. Herein, we report a case of an esophago-mediastinal fistula due to tuberculous lymphadenitis. A 28-year-old woman who had dysphagia was assessed by chest computed tomography, endoscopy, esophagogram, and a lymph node biopsy. An esophago-mediastinal fistula was found and an antituberculous agent was considered initially. However, because of her severe dysphagia, she managed with endoscopic clipping as an alternative. However, the fistula remained on follow-up esophagography. A gastrostomy was eventually performed, and she was treated with an antituberculous agent. The fistula had closed after 4 weeks of medication. Antituberculous agents are the mainstay treatment for esophago-mediastinal fistula due to tuberculous lymphadenitis; endoscopic clipping may be a complementary treatment.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Deglutition Disorders ; Endoscopy ; Esophageal Fistula ; Esophagus ; Female ; Fistula* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrostomy ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphadenitis* ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node

Esophageal atresia (EA) with proximal tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF; gross type B) is a rare defect. Although most patients have long-gap EA, there are still no established surgical guidelines. A premature male infant with symmetric intrauterine growth retardation (birth weight, 1,616 g) was born at 35 weeks and 5 days of gestation. The initial diagnosis was pure EA (gross type A) based on failure to pass an orogastric tube and the absence of stomach gas. A “feed and grow” approach was implemented, with gastrostomy performed on postnatal day 2. A fistula was detected during bronchoscopy for recurrent pneumonia; thus, we confirmed type B EA and performed TEF excision and cervical end esophagostomy. As the infant's stomach volume was insufficient for bolus feeding after reaching a body weight of 2.5 kg, continuous tube feeding was provided through a gastrojejunal tube. On the basis of these findings, esophageal reconstruction with gastric pull-up was performed on postnatal day 141 (infant weight, 4.7 kg), and he was discharged 21 days postoperatively. At 12 months after birth, there was no catch-up growth; however, he is currently receiving a baby food diet without any complications. In patients with EA, bronchoscopy is useful for confirming TEF, whereas for those with long-gap EA with a small stomach volume, esophageal reconstruction with gastric pull-up after continuous feeding through a gastrojejunal tube is worth considering.
Body Weight ; Bronchoscopy ; Diagnosis ; Diet ; Enteral Nutrition ; Esophageal Atresia* ; Esophagostomy ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Fistula ; Gastrostomy ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Male ; Parturition ; Pneumonia ; Pregnancy ; Stomach ; Tracheoesophageal Fistula