Salvage of a totally occluded peritoneal dialysis catheter by laparoscopic milking

Mechanical problems of the Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) catheter remain a significant cause of temporary or even permanent transfer to hemodialysis. Until recently, the most popular approach was to remove the problematic PD catheter than to try to salvage it. We report a case of severe (two-way) PD catheter obstruction that appeared after spontaneous hemoperitoneum and did not resolve with multiple conservative measures. However, it was successfully salvaged by laparoscopic surgery and milking of a big intraluminal clot.