Bowel perforation by a peritoneal dialysis catheter: report of two cases

BACKGROUND: Complications of peritoneal dialysis (PD) such as pain and catheter leakage are frequently reported. Delayed bowel perforation of a PD catheter is a rare adverse event but a serious complication associated with significant mortality. Bowel perforation of a PD catheter is difficult to differentiate from PD-related peritonitis and likely to result in a delay in diagnosis. Here, we report two cases of bowel perforation after PD catheter insertion by the stepwise initiation of PD using the Moncrief and Popovich technique (SMAP) and peritoneal wall anchor technique (PWAT). CASE PRESENTATION: The first case was a 53-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) due to diabetic nephropathy and a history of entero-adhesiolysis. She underwent PD catheter insertion by the SMAP with PWAT. Four months after PD catheter insertion, the catheter was found to perforate sigmoid colon. The second case was a 57-year-old woman with ESRD due to large polycystic kidney disease. She underwent the same procedure. After exteriorization of the catheter, she developed peritonitis due to perforation of the catheter tip into the bowel. Both patients were safely removed the catheter with uneventful recovery. CONCLUSION: We reported two cases of a rare complication of PD catheter. The SMAP method, PWAT, enlarged kidneys and migration of the lower cuff may be risk factors of bowel perforation of a PD catheter.