A two-port laparoscopic placement of peritoneal dialysis catheter: a preliminary report

Abstract

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is a well established modality for treating patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The placement of a peritoneal dialysis catheter (PDC) is carried out either by the open method or by laparoscopy. The laparoscopic technique offers the major advantage of direct vision aiding placement of the catheter in the proper place and the additional performance of diagnostic laparoscopy. The traditional laparoscopic placement of PDC requires three ports. In this study, a two port technique for laparoscopic placement of PDC is described in nine patients. This prospective study was carried out at The Armed Forces Hospital, Khamis Mushayt, Saudi Arabia. Nine patients with ESRD underwent laparoscopic placement of the PDC between January 2001 and May 2002. There were seven females and two males, with a mean age of 52 years (range 38-75 years). The mean operating time was 41 minutes (range 30 -75 min). The mean post-operative hospital stay was 4.5 days (range 2-15 days). Two patients (22.2%) developed leakage of dialysate from the 5 mm-port and one patient (11.1%) had migration of the PDC. Our study suggests that this new modified technique appears to be safe and simple and is associated with rapid post-operative recovery.