Infusional 5-fluorouracil can be a pain in the neck: A case for repositioning displaced Hickman lines

Increasing numbers of patients receive infusional chemotherapy or total par enteral nutrition via Hickman or Grochong lines. Although the insertion of these indwelling catheters is generally performed under radiological guidan ce and their positions verified by chest radiography, it is still feasible for them to become displaced at a later date. This possibility should be ex cluded in patients who develop unusual symptoms during the course of their infusional therapy. We review the reported complications associated with Hi ckman lines, and present a case history demonstrating that interventional r adiology has a valuable role in displaced line repositioning, after the exc lusion of thrombosis and infection.