Jejunostomy is the surgical creation of an opening (stoma) through the skin at the front of the abdomen and the wall of the

jejunum The jejunum is the second part of the small intestine in humans and most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. Its lining is specialized for the absorption by enterocytes of small nutrient molecules which have been pr ...

(part of the

small intestine The small intestine or small bowel is an organ (anatomy), organ in the human gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal tract where most of the #Absorption, absorption of nutrients from food takes place. It lies between the stomach and large intes ...

). It can be performed either endoscopically, or with open surgery. A jejunostomy may be formed following bowel resection in cases where there is a need to bypass the distal small bowel and/or colon due to a bowel leak or perforation. Depending on the length of jejunum resected or bypassed the patient may have resultant short bowel syndrome and require parenteral nutrition. A jejunostomy is different from a jejunal

feeding tube A feeding tube is a medical device used to provide nutrition to people who cannot obtain nutrition by mouth, are unable to swallow safely, or need nutritional supplementation. The state of being fed by a feeding tube is called gavage, enteral f ...

. A jejunal feeding tube is an alternative to a gastrostomy

and is commonly used when gastric enteral feeding is contraindicated or carries significant risks. The advantage over a gastrostomy is its low risk of aspiration due to its distal placement. Disadvantages include small bowel obstruction,

ischemia Ischemia or ischaemia is a restriction in blood supply to any tissue, muscle group, or organ of the body, causing a shortage of oxygen that is needed for cellular metabolism (to keep tissue alive). Ischemia is generally caused by problems ...

, and requirement for continuous feeding.

Techniques

The Witzel jejunostomy is the most common method of jejunostomy creation. It is an open technique where the jejunosotomy is sited 30 cm distal to the Ligament of Treitz on the antimesenteric border, with the catheter tunneled in a seromuscular groove.

References

Enteral feeding Digestive system surgery {{treatment-stub