Percutaneous gastrostomy: use of intragastric balloon support.

To facilitate catheter entrance into the stomach during percutaneous gastrostomy, we sutured a balloon to a nasogastric tube and inflated the balloon in the stomach. The balloon provides support and firmness for the compliant stomach, and prevents the gastric wall from being pushed away by incoming needles and catheters. The balloon frequently becomes palpable in the left upper quadrant and offers a good target fluoroscopically or sonographically. Trocar catheters were easier to insert when the target balloon technique was used, and trocar puncture shortened procedure time. The technique initially was developed in the laboratory and then tested in cadavers. Presently it is used with patients. To date, no specific complications have occurred with this procedure.