Fluoroscopically guided peritoneal dialysis catheter placement: long-term results from a single center.

OBJECTIVE: Despite percutaneous fluoroscopy ensuring appropriate placement of peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters, the efficacy of this method is not well known. Therefore, we evaluated our long-term experience with fluoroscopy-assisted placement of PD catheters. Patients and METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 134 PD catheters in 114 PD patients that were treated in the PD center of a university-based hospital. We evaluated complications related to PD catheters, causes for catheter removal, and catheter survival. We used the multivariate Cox proportional hazard model to identify independent factors related to PD catheter survival. RESULTS: Early complications related to insertion included 1 case of pericatheter bleeding; there were no placement failures. Early complications occurred in 8.5% of patients. Most late complications were migration and leakage, which occurred in 10.4% and 9.7% of patients respectively. The most common cause for catheter removal was intractable and recurrent peritonitis. The 12- and 24-month survival rates of the catheters were 80.0% and 74.9%. The most significant prognostic factor of percutaneous fluoroscopy-assisted PD catheter survival was late leakage (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the advantages of simplicity, minimal invasiveness, and relative safety, the survival rate of PD catheters placed using the percutaneous fluoroscopy-assisted method was comparable to that of more invasive methods. Percutaneous fluoroscopy-assisted placement of PD catheters should be considered when available, and may be preferred to other placement methods.