Laparoscope Is a Useful Tool for Reducing and Drawing off a Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

To the Editor: In patients in whom decannulation of the peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter is being considered, the laparoscopic method may provide useful information versus traditional methods of removal without visual guidance. Recently, laparoscopic examinations have been increasingly used for PD patients, to confirm a diagnosis of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis through their ability to reveal the characteristic gross thickening of the peritoneum. Tanno et al. reported on the laparoscopic findings in a long-term PD patient with encapsulation, including computed tomography in the absence of symptoms. We utilized laparoscopic removal of the PD catheter in 2 patients, both men, who had been undergoing PD for 11 years and 7 years, respectively, and had experienced ultrafiltration failure. Laparoscopic