Enteral migration of a Pezzer tube after a feeding jejunostomy: report of a case

We herein report a rare complication of the migration of a feeding jejunostomy tube through the entire intestine. A surgical Stamm jejunostomy was performed in a patient with an unresectable gastric cancer using a 28-F silicone catheter with a mushroom tip (Pezzer catheter). The catheter was suture-fixed to the skin, family members were given instructions regarding tube feeding and tube care, and the patient was discharged to home care. Two months later, he presented because of the "disappearance" of the tube. A clinical examination revealed a mature jejunostomy tract, skin erosion at the site where the suture was placed, and absence of the tube. There were no signs of intestinal obstruction or peritonitis. Abdominal X-ray examination showed the catheter inside the jejunum. The patient was treated conservatively with serial radiographs showing rapid tube migration through the intestine, and the tube was eliminated spontaneously 5 days later. An awareness of this complication and its appropriate treatment is important given the widespread use of enteral nutrition.