Inova vascular and interventional radiologists perform a gastrostomy when a patient needs to receive nutrition directly through a tube inserted into the stomach or to drain the stomach when its other outlets are blocked. We insert the tube into the stomach under X-ray guidance requiring only local anesthesia. This procedure is a good alternative to endoscopies.
The jejunum is the small bowel. A jejunostomy is similar to a gastrostomy except instead of inserting a catheter into the stomach, the physician inserts it into the small bowel in order to provide nutrition. This procedure is also an alternative to uncomfortable endoscopies.