Best practice in placement of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy with jejunal extension tube for continuous infusion of levodopa carbidopa intestinal gel in the treatment of selected patients with Parkinson's disease in the Nordic region

Abstract

Objective: Continuous infusion of levodopa carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) is associated with a significant improvement in the symptoms and quality of life of selected patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy with jejunal extension (PEG/J) was first described in 1998 and has become the most common and standard technique for fixing the tubing in place for LCIG infusion.

Material and methods: A workshop was held in Stockholm, Sweden, to discuss the PEG/J placement for the delivery of LCIG in Parkinson's disease patients with the primary goal of providing guidance on best practice for the Nordic countries.

Results: Suggested procedures for preparation of patients for PEG/J placement, aftercare, troubleshooting and redo-procedures for use in the Nordic region are described and discussed.

Conclusions: LCIG treatment administered through PEG/J-tubes gives a significant increase in quality of life for selected patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. Although minor complications are common, serious complications are infrequent, and the tube insertion procedures have a good safety record. Further development of delivery systems and evaluation of approaches designed to reduce the demand for redo endoscopy are required.

Keywords: PEG placement; Parkinson’s disease; levodopa carbidopa intestinal gel; percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy jejunal extension.