This operation is called gastrostomy and may be the means of giving many weeks of comfort to the unhappy patient - provided that its performance is not too long postponed.
Special techniques and procedures are then required to provide adequate nutrition, such as special nipples, manipulation of mouth and jaw, and on rare occasions, insertion of a gastrostomy tube.
Nutrients can be introduced directly into the stomach through a tube inserted either through the nose (a nasogastric tube) or through the abdominal wall (a gastrostomy tube).
In some individuals, a tube from the stomach to the outside of the abdomen (gastrostomy tube) may be required to eliminate the need for swallowing large volumes of liquids and to decrease the risk of aspiration.
The weakness in the throat muscles seen especially in OPMD and later DMD may necessitate the use of a gastrostomy tube, inserted in the stomach to provide nutrition directly.