Laparoscopic Placement of Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter (Same Day Dialysis)

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Peritoneal dialysis (PD) remains the generally accepted method for management of renal failure in chronic and acute renal failure. Despite the rapidly increasing use of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) since its introduction, controversy persists as to the efficacy and exact role of the modality in the treatment of end stage renal failure. The aim of this paper is to present the experience with laparoscopic placement of a peritoneal dialysis catheter and starting the peritoneal dialysis on the same day. METHODS The laparoscopic placement of a peritoneal dialysis catheter was performed on 11 patients (10 males and 1 female) with an average age of 35 years, over a 12-month period. The procedure was done using two 5 mm abdominal trocars. The precise position of the catheter on the pelvis was ensured laparoscopically. One to two liters exchange dialysis was used for every patient, and no leakage was recorded. RESULTS The patients tolerated the procedure well. The peritoneal dialysis was started immediately. Patients were discharged after an overnight stay, and PD was carried out routinely. CONCLUSION The results of laparoscopic placement of a peritoneal dialysis catheter show the following advantages: minimal incision; less surgical trauma; the procedure hastens the early start of peritoneal dialysis and has no complications.