Balloon pyloroplasty in children with delayed gastric emptying.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate initial experience with balloon pyloroplasty for delayed gastric emptying in children.

DESIGN

A retrospective review.

SETTING

A tertiary care pediatric hospital.

PATIENTS: Seven children with scintiscan-proven delayed gastric emptying that was refractory to maximal medical therapy.

INTERVENTIONS: Balloon pyloroplasty under fluoroscopic guidance, mostly on an outpatient basis. For 1 child, the procedure was endoscopically monitored also.

OUTCOME MEASURES: Postoperative symptoms and physical findings, gastric emptying and complications.

RESULTS

Of the 7 children who underwent balloon pyloroplasty, 3 were rendered asymptomatic and 2 more were symptomatically improved. Four of the original 7 patients underwent postdilation scintigraphy, and all 4 showed normalization of the gastric emptying time. There were no complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Initial experience with fluoroscopically-guided balloon pyloroplasty indicates that it is a safe and easily tolerated procedure, worthy of further study.