Is ultrasound-guided central venous port placement effective to avoid pinch-off syndrome?
OBJECTIVE
Ultrasound (US)-guided internal jugular vein access has been the standard practice of central venous port (CVP) placement. The subclavian vein (SCV) access has also been preferred, but has potential risk of pinch-off syndrome (POS). The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of US-guided SCV access to avoid POS in patients with CVP.


METHODS
Included in this study were patients who had undergone CVP placement via the SCV. We mainly assessed the computed tomography (CT) findings from two different placement techniques of a CVP via the SCV: (i) venipuncture point described by the ratio between the distance from the venipuncture point to the sternoclavicular joint and the clavicular length; and (ii) presence of direct attachment of the catheter to the clavicle. Secondary outcome was POS rate associated with two different placement techniques of CVP via the SCV.


RESULTS
A total of 237 patients were included in this study between August 2007 and January 2011. A total of 100 patients (42.2%) underwent CVP placement using the landmark technique while 137 patients (57.8%) underwent CVP placement by US guidance. CT revealed that the US-guided technique tended to be lateral SCV approach compared with the landmark technique (p<0.001). A total of four patients (1.7%) experienced POS, all of them in the landmark group.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results showed that the US-guided technique determines a more lateral SCV approach, with a reduced POS risk than the landmark venipuncture technique.
1 Department of Radiology, Iwate Medical University School of Medicine, Morioka - Japan.
Akio
A
Tamura
Miyuki
M
Sone
Shigeru
S
Ehara
Kenichi
K
Kato
Ryoichi
R
Tanaka
Tatsuhiko
T
Nakasato
Tetsuya
T
Itabashi
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D059925:Anatomic Landmarks; D061807:Catheter Obstruction / Q000209:etiology*; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D062905:Central Venous Catheters; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010690:Phlebography; D011677:Punctures; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013350:Subclavian Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional; D055815:Young Adult