Abstract
Aim The prevalence of congenital cerebral palsy (CP) worldwide ranges from 0.15 to 0.4%.
CP causes several gastrointestinal complications that inhibit normal eating behavior.
This single-center observational study aimed to determine the tolerability and benefits
of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) in pediatric CP patients with malnutrition.
Materials and Methods The study included 41 pediatric CP patients with malnutrition. All patient data were
retrospectively obtained from Bakırköy Dr. Sadi Konuk Research and Training Hospital,
Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Istanbul, Turkey.
In addition to baseline measurements of weight, height, triceps skinfold thickness,
1,25-hydroxyvitamin D3, folate, iron, zinc, vitamin B12, hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular
volume, data analyzed included follow-up measurements recorded at 3 and 6 months of
PEG (standard polymeric enteral supplementation as 1.0 kcal mL–1 ).
Results There was significant improvement in both height, weight, and triceps skinfold thickness
in all patients at 3 and 6 months of PEG (p < 0.05). In terms of blood parameters, there was not significant improvement, except
that the number of patients with a low hemoglobin count significantly decreased at
3 and 6 months of (p = 0.022). Moreover, the number of patients with vomiting after PEG also significantly
decreased at 3 and 6 months of (p = 0.004).
Conclusion PEG significantly improves malnutrition in pediatric CP patients and does not cause
any major complications. Based on these findings, we think PEG is a beneficial and
cost-effective intervention with a high rate of tolerability in pediatric CP patients
with malnutrition.
Keywords cerebral palsy - malnutrition - pediatric - neurological disorders
