COMPLICATIONS OF ULTRASOUND-GUIDED NEPHROSTOMY - A 5-YEAR EXPERIENCE

In a 5-year period (January 1987 to December 1991) a total of 285 US-g uided nephrostomy procedures were performed in 159 patients. All nephr ostomies were performed with a 2.3 mm onestep trochar catheter without internal fixation. The hospital case records were reviewed retrospect ively, and complications were registered. The overall success rate was 92%. The catheters were maintained for a median of 17 days (range 1-1 50 days). Thirty-three catheters slipped out unintentionally in the fi rst 10 days. Haematuria through the catheter for more than 3 days occu rred in 14 cases. Complications occurred in 19 (6.7%) of the procedure s. One uraemic patient had cardiac arrest but was resuscitated. Two pa tients had severe haematuria and one of them had a nephrectomy. Seven patients developed septicaemia. and 6 had perirenal bleeding or urinar y leakage. Three patients developed skin infection. Ultrasound-guided nephrostomy is a gentle procedure with only few major complications, b ut the risk of the procedure should still be weighed against the expec ted benefit.