Endoscopic placement of CAPD catheters: a review of one hundred procedures

One hundred consecutive endoscopically placed peritoneal dialysis catheters inserted in 95 patients over an 18-month period have been reviewed. All catheters were placed for chronic dialysis (CAPD). Following insertion there were five early catheter failures (4 failed to drain, 1 perforated viscus) and 13 early complications (7 leaks, 3 tunnel bleeds, 2 scrotal oedema, 1 wound infection). In the long term six patients required transfer to haemodialysis (2 recurrent peritonitis, 2 pain on outflow, 1 unable to cope, 1 persistent vomiting). Overall probability of catheter survival as predicted by Kaplan-Meier analysis was 0.85 at 18 months. These results confirm that endoscopic placement of CAPD catheters is safe and reliable. In addition there is a low early failure rate and the long-term catheter survival figure is comparable with the best series reported. This procedure allows direct visualization of the peritoneal cavity, thus minimizing the risk of visceral damage. Furthermore, the procedure is well tolerated under local anaesthesia and allows early institution of dialysis because of the extremely low leakage rate (11%). Endoscopic placement of CAPD catheters is now the procedure of choice in our centre. General anaesthetic and mini-laparotomy are thus avoided in most of this high-risk group.