Laparoscopic repositioning of malfunctioning peritoneal dialysis catheters

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis is commonly used for the maintenance of patients with chronic renal failure. A common complication associated with this treatment is outflow obstruction of the catheter. Noninvasive approaches to outflow obstruction such as enemas, infusions of saline, and body position changes are rarely successful in the management of these complications (1). Herein we report a review of our experience with the use of laparoscopy for the evaluation and management of peritoneal dialysis catheters with outflow obstruction.