Percutaneous femoral catheter placement for long-term chemotherapy infusions: preliminary technical results.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of our study was to evaluate the feasibility and usefulness of using a port-catheter system equipped with a W-spiral catheter for hepatic chemotherapy; this novel catheter does not require fixation by pericatheter embolization and can be safely withdrawn when not needed.


METHODS
Sixty-one patients (40 men and 2l women; mean age, 59 years) with advanced liver cancers (primary hepatic or biliary cancer [n = 31] and metastatic liver cancer [n = 30]) underwent percutaneous port-catheter placement with the tip of W-spiral catheter inserted into the right gastroepiploic artery and the side-hole opened at the common hepatic artery after embolization of the right gastric artery, pancreaticoduodenal arteries, or aberrant hepatic arteries. Pericatheter embolization for preventing catheter dislodgement was not performed. The technical success of port-catheter placement, clinical patency of the port-catheter system, and technical success of port-catheter removal were evaluated.


RESULTS
Percutaneous port-catheter placement using this method was successfully performed in 59 (97%) of 61 patients. Subsequently, chemotherapy was successfully performed through the port in 57 (93%) of 61 patients. Complications during and after the procedure were observed in two (3%) of 61 patients and 12 (20.7%) of 58 patients. Hepatic artery thrombosis occurred in two (3.4%) of 58 patients. The port-catheter removal and the catheter replacement were performed in eight and four patients, respectively, who wanted the procedure. It was completed successfully without any complications.


CONCLUSIONS
This method of implantation of a port-catheter system appeared to offer clinical advantages of safe catheter removal, femoral artery access, and an acceptable complication rate.
Tajima
Tsuyoshi
T
Department of Clinical Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. ttajima@dr.hosp.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Yoshimitsu
Kengo
K
Kuroiwa
Toshirou
T
Ishibashi
Tatsuyuki
T
Irie
Hiroyuki
H
Aibe
Hitoshi
H
Shinozaki
Kenji
K
Nishie
Akihiro
A
Yabuuchi
Hidetake
H
Honda
Hiroshi
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002404:Catheterization / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery; D006801:Humans; D007261:Infusions, Intra-Arterial / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy; D011859:Radiography; D013997:Time Factors