Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is an endoscopic medical procedure in which a tube (PEG tube) is passed into a patient's stomach through the abdominal wall, most commonly to provide a means of feeding when oral intake is not adequate (for example, because of dysphagia or sedation).

The PEG procedure is an alternative to open surgical gastrostomy insertion, and does not require a general anesthetic; mild sedation is typically used.

[1] PEG administration of enteral feeds is the most commonly used method of nutritional support for patients in the community.

Many stroke patients, for example, are at risk of aspiration pneumonia due to poor control over the swallowing muscles; some will benefit from a PEG performed to maintain nutrition.

The causes for these situations may be neurological (e.g. stroke), anatomical (e.g. cleft lip and palate during the process of correction) or other (e.g. radiation therapy for tumors in head & neck region).

[4] Quality improvement protocols have been developed with the aim of reducing the number of non-beneficial gastrostomies in patients with dementia.

The feeding tube is attached to the guidewire and pulled through the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and out of the incision.

Gauderer, pediatric surgeon, Jeffrey Ponsky, endoscopist, and James Bekeny, surgical resident, performed the procedure on a 4+1⁄2-month-old child with inadequate oral intake.