Peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis: are they comparable?

It is difficult to make adequate comparisons between peritoneal and haemodialysis. Survival studies show somewhat different results from country to country. In Canada, peritoneal dialysis appears to have some advantage over haemodialysis using the Cox regressional analysis. Intention-to-treat survival curves show no difference. With respect to the quality of life, it is difficult to demonstrate significant differences. Cost differences are country dependent. For any given patient, where medical considerations heavily favour one modality over another, one can safely presume that either haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis can be successfully employed in managing the patient.