Percutaneous Decompression of the Bowel with a Small-Caliber Needle: A Method to Facilitate Percutaneous Abdominal Access

In our pediatric interventional practice, we have found that occasionally a loop of bowel is interposed between the stomach and the anterior wall of the abdomen, preventing safe needle access for procedures such as placement of a gastrostomy tube. The use of a small-caliber needle to aspirate air from the colon or small bowel, for bowel decompression, may be a safe way to aid in establishing a safe access route for the subsequent percutaneous introduction of larger needles or tubes. Our retrospective review of patients who have undergone bowel-gas aspiration during an interventional procedure shows that the aspiration of air from the colon with a small-caliber needle is technically easy and may permit completion of an abdominal procedure.