Preliminary results of the subcutaneous central venous ports implantation with the image guidance: KTU experience

Subcutaneous venous ports that provided oncology patients needing long term cytotoxic treatment with safe and comfortable venous access were used by only surgical departments with landmark technique by looking only at anatomic marks in a blinded way from 1982 to 1992. In 1992, port implantation technique was defined with imaging guidance by Morris et al. Port implantation technique with imaging guidance that has become common from that date has had an important place in interventional radiology units in terms of work load.Unlike landmark technique, US and fluoroscopy methods have been applied with imaging guidance in radiological technique.The reason why port implantation has become so popular is that the operation is completed in a shorter period of time, with less complications and the increase in the number of patients needing port catheter in parallel with its multi-purpose uses such as chemotherapy applications, total parenteral nutrition and long term infusion when compared with landmark technique.The perioperative and short term follow-up results of 100 single lumened subcutaneous venous ports applied on the anterior chest wall (average period that it will stay on those areas is 527 catheter, days) of 100 patients (40 women, 60 men, range of age: 26 ? 78, average age: 51) recorded in the database of Interventional Radiology Unit of Karadeniz Technical University School of Medicine between January 2007 and April 2009 have been analysed resrospectively.The success rate of vein access in patients on whom IJV that provides a safer access in radiological techique were applied ( right IJV in 92 patients, left IJV in 8 patients) and the technical success rate that is described as the port reservoir and catheter?s being at convenient position and functional were 100 %. There were not any major complications caused by operations. There were minor complications (access haematoma) in 2 patients (2%) caused by operations. Post disfunction characterized by difficulty in aspiration (3%) and did not need explantation in follow-up in 5 patients (5%) and minor complications defined as bleariness/swelling in port pocket area (2%) as well as port pocket infection/necrose that required explantation in 1 patient ( 1%) were developed. The port of 76 patients was functional except for 4 patients that were lost to follow up, 11 patients whose chemotherapy application came to an end, 8 patients that died because of the progress in malign illness, and 1 patient whose port was removed because of complication.In this study, we introduce venous port implantation carried out with imaging guidance in our unit. We have compared our follow-up results with relevant data of patients on whom surgical and radiological methods have been applied. The results show that implantation with imaging guidance are safe and effective.