Gastrostomy tube installation is common in paediatric patients who require long-term enteral tube feeding. The evidence on the impact of gastrostomy placement on gastro-oesophageal reflux disease has been inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to look into the effect of gastrostomy on gastro-oesophageal reflux. A prospective, longitudinal cohort research was conducted with 50 patients who had laparoscopic gastrostomy surgery between May 2012 and April 2014. Before and three months after surgery, caregivers completed reflux symptom questionnaires and 24-hour multichannel intraluminal impedance pH monitoring was done. A comparable number of patients had gastro-oesophageal reflux symptoms before and after gastrostomy implantation. Twenty-five patients were subjected to both preoperative and postoperative testing and were included in the impedance-pH analysis. After gastrostomy installation, acid exposure duration did not alter significantly: it decreased from 6.2 percent to 6.1 percent. The number of reflux episodes did not differ substantially between liquid and mixed liquid-gas reflux. On pH-impedance testing prior to gastrostomy installation, 18 of 25 patients exhibited pathological reflux. Pathological reflux was resolved in four individuals, whereas pathological reflux developed in four others. Increased acid exposure following gastrostomy installation was related with a poor preoperative weight-for-height percentile.
On 24-hour multichannel intraluminal impedance pH monitoring, gastrostomy implantation was not linked with an increase in acid exposure. Similarly, the prevalence of gastro-oesophageal reflux symptoms did not change following gastrostomy.
