What is the difference between a PEG and a PEJ?
Percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy (PEG) tubes are essentially feeding tubes used with patients who are unable to consume sufficient calories to meet metabolic needs. Physicians use this technique most often with patients who have impaired swallowing, neoplasms of the esophagus or larynx, and other catabolic conditions. If needed, due to repeated aspiration of nasogastric tube feedings or other problems, the physician can modify the PEG technique to allow transpyloric placement of a jejunostomy tube at the time of the initial procedure or at a later time. The main difference is that the physician inserts the PEG tube percutaneously into the stomach with an endoscope, while he inserts the PEJ (percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy) tube into the intestine to the jejunum, says Margaret Lamb, RHIT, CPC, Great Falls Clinic, Great Falls, Mont.