Respiratory Medicine Case Reports (Jan 2015)

Pulmonary scintigraphy as a method to investigate gastrobronchial communication in tracheostomized patients

  • Alessandro Graziani,
  • Anna Martelli,
  • Oliviero Quercia,
  • Anna Paola Spadazzi,
  • Eleonora del Giudice,
  • Francesco G. Stefanini,
  • Arianna Lanzi,
  • Pierpaolo Casalini,
  • Giuseppe Pezzi,
  • Federica Mirici Cappa

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmcr.2015.05.015
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. C
pp. 29 – 31

Abstract

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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a degeneration of somatic motor neurons extending from upper motor cortical pyramidal neurons to lower motor neurons of the brainstem and cord. During the course of the disease patients require invasive procedures for nutrition and ventilation. Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG), performed in patients with impaired swallowing, is a safe procedure for the administration of Enteral Nutrition (EN). In the advanced stages of the disease patients develop a ventilatory failure due to muscolar weakness in these case they need a permanent tracheal tube with mechanical ventilation. Here we reported a case of a patient with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ASL) who developed an increased gastric endocavitary pressure after a Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG).

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