Technical note: radiological insertion of an implantable drug delivery system.
A fully implantable drug delivery system has been shown to overcome many of the problems of long-term venous access. Traditionally these have required surgical implantation but we describe a simple, cost-effective and successful technique for the percutaneous insertion of an implantable vascular device (Vascuport, Ohmeda) in the angiography suite under local anaesthesia. It was successful in all 19 patients in whom it was attempted, with only one minor complication. We recommend that the procedure should be performed in X-ray departments using screening and conventional guidewire techniques.
Lopez
A J
AJ
Department of Radiology, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.
Sidhu
P S
PS
Dutka
D
D
Cousins
C
C
D000772:Anesthesia, Local; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000379:methods*; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D006801:Humans; D015918:Infusion Pumps, Implantable; D015641:Radiography, Interventional