Peritoneal Port Placement

Peritoneal port placement is a procedure to surgically implant under the skin a small reservoir or chamber to provide a painless way of withdrawing excess fluid from or delivering anti-cancer drugs into the abdominal or peritoneal cavity over a period of weeks, months, or even years. The port has a silicone rubber top that can be penetrated by a needle and an attached catheter that is designed to hang down into the abdominal cavity once it is placed inside the body. The peritoneal port is implanted during a minimally invasive procedure so that patients may undergo treatments such as: serial paracentesis, in which excess fluids in the abdomen are repeatedly withdrawn through a catheter connected to the port, and intraperitoneal therapy, in which anti-cancer drugs are delivered into the peritoneal cavity through a catheter connected to the port. Physicians use peritoneal ports to help treat intractable ascites (caused by cirrhosis, cancer, heart failure, kidney failure, tuberculosis, or pancreatic disease) and ovarian cancer. Port-placement is an image-guided, minimally invasive procedure usually performed by an interventional radiologist in an interventional radiology suite or occasionally in the operating room. This procedure is often done on an outpatient basis. However, some procedures may require admission.

Interventional radiology is a medical specialty that uses minimally invasive techniques to diagnose and treat a wide range of health problems, and it is an integral part of comprehensive patient care. The UAB Medicine interventional radiology team is a dedicated group of skilled, innovative health care professionals who are committed to providing the highest quality of care to our patients.

The group uses the latest and most advanced technology and imaging methods, including fluoroscopy, ultrasound, and CT scans, to treat tumors as well as peripheral arterial, venous, urologic, and hepatobiliary diseases. Each of our five dedicated angiography suites has the full range of imaging technology needed for complex procedures, along with the latest in patient monitoring and documentation systems. Because UAB Medicine is an academic health center, patients may be offered participation in clinical research trials, which can provide access to new techniques and treatments that are not available elsewhere in the area.