Removal of the peritoneal dialysis catheter because of gastrointestinal disease in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis: a single-center case series.

We previously reported that peritoneal dialysis (PD)-associated peritonitis is a major cause of PD catheter removal. Another major cause is disease of the gastrointestinal tract, including neoplasm and perforation. In the present study, we reviewed the records of patients who underwent catheter removal at our hospital for reasons other than peritoneal infection--and for gastrointestinal disease in particular. Data were collected from the records of patients who received continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD) therapy between 2004 and 2010 at the Department of Nephrology, Saitama Medical University. Mean duration of CAPD was 6.2 +/- 4.7 years, and mean age at onset was 64.5 +/- 9.6 years. During the investigation period, catheters were removed from 13 patients (4 men, 9 women) because of gastrointestinal disease: gastric cancer in 3 cases, colon cancer in 3 cases, perforation of the lower gastrointestinal tract in 3 cases, and other reasons in 4 cases. Examination of pathology specimens obtained from 6 patients-including 1 in whom contrast-enhanced computed tomography indicated the presence of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS)-revealed mild fibrosis in the subserous layer. No patient died of infection after a surgical procedure. Moreover, throughout the observation period, no patient developed new EPS or postoperative ileus. The present study suggests that CAPD itself seems to be free of untoward effects during the postoperative course in these patients.