Further Data About Upper Extremity Ports

Excerpt

We would like to reply to the questions raised by article published in the April 2010 issue by Goltz et al. [1], “Peripherally Placed Totally Implantable Venous Access Port Systems of the Forearm: Clinical Experience in 763 Consecutive Patients.” The authors report on one of the largest series of percutaneous ultrasound-guided arm vein access with concomitant port chamber placement in the forearm. The authors state—and we fully agree—that percutaneous access via radiological guidance increases the technical success rate and greatly decreases the procedure-related complication rate in comparison to the surgical techniques. With ultrasound real-time guidance, the technical success vein access rate reaches up to 99–100% vs. 94% by venography guidance [2‐4]. To our opinion, the latter should only be indicated in obese patients, in whom ultrasound scan is often of poor quality, and in patients with previous ipsilateral catheter [5]. …