Imaging-Guided Chemotherapy Port Placement

Cancer patients may require the placement of a chemotherapy port for a limited period of time. In these cases, we use both ultrasound and fluoroscopy guidance in our Interventional Radiology department, ensuring sterile conditions for placement.

Ultrasound guidance allows for the catheter tunnel to be placed very close to the chest wall, allowing for more convenient and unnoticeable placement. This allows the port to remain open longer when accessed through the jugular vein.

Performing the procedure under fluoroscopy allows visualization of the port tip's direction, eliminating the need to extend the catheter into undesirable areas (such as the contralateral arm vein or the contralateral neck vein).

Furthermore, port placement carries a rare, serious complication that can lead to death. This complication, called air embolism, must be performed under fluoroscopy guidance to ensure immediate detection and prompt aspiration of air from the heart.