Short- and Long-Term Outcomes and Catheter Durability After Venting Percutaneous Transesophageal Gastrostomy in Palliative Malignant Bowel Obstruction

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness, safety, and catheter durability of venting percutaneous transesophageal gastrostomy (PTEG) in patients with malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) who were not candidates for percutaneous gastrostomy (PG). Materials and Methods: This retrospective single-center study included 47 patients with MBO who underwent PTEG between 2018 and 2025. Outcomes included technical success, >72 hours clinical outcomes, paired pre–post analysis of nausea and vomiting severity, changes in antiemetic and opioid use, >72 hours catheter performance, and survival. Time-to-event analyses were performed using Kaplan–Meier estimates for overall survival and catheter event-free survival. Procedure-related adverse events were classified using the CIRSE system. Results: Technical success was achieved in all patients and clinical success within 72 hours occurred in 90.9%. Nausea and vomiting prevalence decreased from 87.2% to 8.5% and 4.3%, respectively ( P < .001), with parallel reductions in antiemetic (87.2%-8.5%) and opioid use (53.2%-12.8%; P < .001). Catheter dysfunction occurred in 22.7% of patients. Median overall survival was 52.0 days (95% CI: 38.0-245.0), and median catheter event-free survival was 212 days (95% CI: 65-not reached). Mean overall survival was 136.2 days (95% CI: 75.5-196.8), while mean catheter event-free survival was 229.9 days (95% CI: 131.3-328.6). No major adverse events (CIRSE grade ≥3) were observed. Conclusion: Venting PTEG demonstrated favorable short- and long-term clinical outcomes in patients with MBO who were unsuitable for PG.