Dumping syndrome in a child with an incorrectly positioned gastrostomy catheter
Zonnenberg, I.A.; van der Staak, F.H.J.M.; Cuppen, M.P.J.M.; Zwart, A.
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde 147(8): 350-353
2003
ISSN/ISBN: 0028-2162 PMID: 12661121 Document Number: 556662
A 13-month-old girl experienced an epileptic fit due to hypoglycaemia. She was born with a posterolateral diaphragm defect and at the age of 1.5 months had undergone a Nissen fundoplication with which a gastrostomy was also performed. The tip of the gastrostomy catheter was found to be lying in the bulbus duodeni. Once this had been pulled back, the patient made a good recovery. Dumping syndrome is usually the result of a quicker gastric emptying time or a smaller gastric capacity, and in children it is mostly due to a Nissen fundoplication. In patients fed by tube who exhibit symptoms of dumping syndrome, the position of the feeding tube must be checked before other diagnostic or therapeutic steps are undertaken.