Percutaneous peritoneal dialysis catheter placement for the management of end-stage renal disease: technique and comparison with the surgical approach.

As the incidence of end-stage renal disease is increasing, so is the pressure on the health care system to promote less expensive and burdensome management solutions. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) has been increasingly used and is especially suited for patients who, in exchange for meticulous care and technique, enjoy more independence and fewer clinic visits than their counterparts on hemodialysis. Both the efficiency and the complication profile of the percutaneously placed PD catheters are comparable to that of surgically implanted ones. Percutaneous procedures have the added advantage of being less expensive and requiring shorter hospitalization. Radiologists are in an advantageous position to provide fluoroscopic placement of PD catheters promptly and safely. We describe this technique step by step and compare its complication profile to that of the surgical approach as reported in the literature.