Radiologic placement of long-term central venous catheters: a review

The need for long-term placement of catheters within the central venous system is continually expanding and follows the increasing use of hemodialysis, total parenteral nutrition, and long-term chemotherapy for neoplastic and infectious diseases. Whereas these catheters have traditionally been placed by surgeons in an operating room, it is now clear that they can be effectively placed by interventional radiologists using percutaneous techniques within an interventional/angiographic suite. This review is based on the radiologic percutaneous placement of nearly 1,500 central venous catheters including approximately 500 tunneled Hickman/Leonard catheters, 350 double-lumen cuffed dialysis catheters, and 150 chest wall subcutaneous ports.