Experiences with Tenckhoff peritoneal dialysis catheter

Abstract

Peritoneal dialysis is a generally accepted method for the treatment of patients with end-stage renal disease. Two main techniques for the insertion of the peritoneal catheter are known: open surgery and the laparoscopic-assisted technique. Aim: To describe our surgical procedure and implantation technique and to determine the outcome of our patients who underwent the conventional and the laparoscopic assisted placement of a catheter. Methods: Between September 2001 and June 2009, 124 patients underwent either conventional or laparoscopic peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion procedure. Results: 52 male, and 70 female patients were studied (mean age: 62 years), 110 conventional and 14 laparoscopic assisted operation were done. Conclusions: The traditional method for placement of peritoneal dialysis catheters is by “blind” insertion of the catheter through a small lower abdominal incision. The laparoscopic placement is a new but well-established technique and offers some advantages, such as a safer and accurate placement of the catheter under direct vision, less postoperative pain and complications, and a longer functional survival, compared to the conventional open technique. The functional outcome of the catheters was satisfactory in the majority of patients in this study. The conventional technique is simple, safe and has low costs, and in our opinion, it should be used for the most times, and the laparoscopic technique should be considered as the method of special choice in patients with end-stage chronic renal failure.