This is the Tenckhoff catheter, a permanent access to the peritoneal cavity for peritoneal dialysis. It has side holes along the intraperitoneal end of the catheter (on the right side of the catheter shown). There are two Dacron cuffs to allow tissue ingrowth to hold the catheter in place and to prevent infection. Tenckhoff catheters are usually implanted in the lower abdomen, with special attention to avoid the belt line.
Correct position of the Tenckhoff catheter
The catheter’s tip should be located inside the pelvic cavity.
Malpositioned Tenckhoff catheter
This Tenckhoff catheter is displaced. The tip of the catheter is outside the pelvic cavity pointing cranially. A malpositioned catheter results in poor ultrafiltration. The catheter tip can be repositioned back into the pelvis with guide-wire under fluoroscopy or, in difficult cases, by laparoscopy.