Review for 10.1186/s12876-020-01213-2 (2020)

Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Safety and outcome of gastrostomy tube placement in patients with Loeys -Dietz 
Syndrome  
 
Version: 2 Date: 20 Dec 2019  
 
Reviewer: Einar Arnbjörnsson  
 
Reviewer's report:  
This is a fluently written report of ten cases with a r are disease. I have still not seen a report om 
Loeys -Dietz syndrome (LDS) children undergoing a gastrostomy operation. Thus this report has 
some novelty value that merits publication. The value of the paper lies in the description of 
children with this rar e disease undergoing a gastrostomy operative intervention. As a publication 
this manuscript may support colleges facing the task of performing a gastrostomy operation on a 
child with LDS.  
 
I have few comments only:  
1) this paper is a case report and not an original report  
2) The text can be shortened. Some data in the text can be placed in the table and discussed in the 
text only.  
3) The different methods used for conducting the gastrostomy is reported in the table but not 
discussed.  
4) The "burried bumber" complication is not discussed. Is there a way to avoid that 
complication?  
5) The conclusion expresses the authors opinion only and is not supported by the data found in 
the manuscript.  
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manus cript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional  statistical review is recommended, please speci fy what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
Not relevant to this manuscript  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Acceptable  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, f ees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain  or lose financial ly from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation t hat may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents  relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing inte rests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to al l of the above, write 'I declare that I have  no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests  
 
 
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the jo urnal. I understan d that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted f or publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the authors' 
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CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be in cluded as confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal