Technique for laparoscopy-assisted complicated peritoneal dialysis catheter placement

Effect of Prior Abdominal Surgery, Peritonitis, and Adhesions on Catheter Function and Long-Term Outcome on Peritoneal Dialysis

Adhesions from previous surgery and peritonitis can lead to peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion failure, visceral injury, and poor dialysis function. Employing a laparoscopic approach, the effect of adhesiolysis on mechanical catheter complications and long-term catheter survival was prospectively examined in 436 catheter placement procedures having a 57.8 per cent prevalence rate of previous surgery. Adhesiolysis was required in 31.8 per cent of cases with prior surgery and in 3.3 per cent of procedures without previous operations. The incidence of adhesiolysis was directly related to the number of prior surgeries ( P < 0.0001). The incidence of catheter insertion failure from extensive adhesions was 1.8 per cent. Survival probability free from catheter obstruction was lower in patients requiring adhesiolysis compared with subjects with prior surgery not requiring adhesiolysis ( P = 0.01). Laparoscopic rescue procedures limited catheter losses from flow obstruction to only 0.7 per cent. As a result, long-term catheter survival was not different among patients regardless of prior surgery and/or adhesion status ( P = 0.2). Scars on the abdomen and prior peritonitis do not predict the extent of adhesions and should not be used to judge eligibility for peritoneal dialysis. Presently, laparoscopy is the only practical way to provide optimal peritoneal access in patients with a history of surgery and peritonitis.

Selected best demonstrated practices in peritoneal dialysis access

Many burdensome interventions that adversely affect the utilization of peritoneal dialysis as renal replacement therapy and patient satisfaction with this treatment modality can be avoided by early peritoneal access placement with embedded catheters, implantation techniques that preempt common catheter complications, and the use of access devices that provide flexibility in exit site location. Catheter embedding consists of subcutaneously burying the external limb of the catheter tubing at the time of the insertion procedure. Interval exteriorization of the catheter is performed when dialysis is needed. Earlier commitment by patients to peritoneal dialysis can be achieved by elimination of catheter maintenance until dialysis is necessary. Catheter embedding is a practical strategy to avoid temporary hemodialysis with vascular catheters and reduces stress on operating room access by allowing more efficient scheduling as non-urgent procedures. Laparoscopic catheter placement enables proactive techniques not available to other conventional insertion methods. These techniques include rectus sheath tunneling to prevent catheter tip migration, selective prophylactic omentopexy to prevent omental entrapment, selective resection of epiploic appendages to prevent catheter obstruction, adhesiolysis to eliminate compartmentalization, and diagnosis and simultaneous repair of previously undiagnosed abdominal wall hernias. Both standard and extended 2-piece catheter systems are necessary to customize the peritoneal access to a variety of body configurations. Catheters should be able to produce lower abdominal, mid-abdominal, upper abdominal, and upper chest exit site locations that facilitate management by the patient without sacrificing deep pelvic position of the catheter tip or resulting in excessive tubing stress during passage through the abdominal wall.

Laparoscopic assisted placement of peritoneal dialysis catheters for selected patients with previous abdominal operation

Peritoneal dialysis is an established alternative method for the management of patients with end-stage renal disease. Recently, laparoscopy has been utilized in assisting the insertion of catheters under direct vision. The efficacy of the laparoscopic approach for patients with a history of abdominal surgery remains largely unknown. The purpose of this study is to evaluate laparoscopy in the placement of peritoneal dialysis catheters for selected patients with previous abdominal operation. Laparoscopic assisted placement of peritoneal dialysis catheters was performed in 20 patients, who were carefully selected preoperatively and who also underwent previous abdominal operation between April 1999 and July 2001. Previous abdominal operation included appendectomy, ovarian resection, hysterectomy, cesarean section, open cholecystectomy, segmental resection of the small intestine, and truncal vagotomy with pyloroplasty. The procedure was performed using two 10-mm and one 5-mm abdominal trocar. All of the patients tolerated this procedure without significant surgical complications. However, 3 patients developed temporary hemoperitoneum, and 1 patient developed dialysate leakage. The overall success rate of catheter function (> 30 days after laparoscopy) was 90%, except in 2 cases where the catheter functioned poorly due to severe intra-abdominal adhesions. Simultaneous laparoscopic adhesiolysis was successfully performed in 5 cases. Laparoscopic implantation of peritoneal dialysis catheters appears to be a straightforward procedure, even for patients with previous abdominal operation. We believe that this technique may extend the application of peritoneal dialysis treatment in patients with previous abdominal surgery after discreet evaluation preoperatively.

Selective performance of prophylactic omentopexy during laparoscopic implantation of peritoneal dialysis catheters

Omental entrapment of the peritoneal dialysis catheter remains a common cause of flow dysfunction. Prophylactic omentectomy during catheter implantation is still followed with an incidence of flow obstruction as high as 10%. We describe indications and a technique for selective performance of omentopexy during laparoscopic catheter implantation that resulted in only a 0.7% obstruction rate in 153 consecutive patients as compared with a 12.8% rate in a preceding group of 78 consecutive patients. Laparoscopic omentopexy was performed during 9.2% of implant procedures and only when the omentum was found to extend to the retrovesical space. The procedure is simple, quick, and inexpensive to perform. Employing selective criteria for omentopexy eliminates the performance of unnecessary procedures. Actuarial analysis demonstrates that an operative strategy of selectively performing omentopexy for redundant omentum significantly improves catheter survival free of flow dysfunction (P < 0.0001).