Revue iconographique des aspects normaux et pathologiques des cathéters à chambre implantable

The presence of a port-a-cath is frequent. This article presents the normal patterns and the complications of this device. On a lung X-Rays, the distal extremity of the catheter has to be situated at the atrio-cave junction, two vertebral bodies under the carena, to have an harmonious route without kinking, loop and without abnormaly at the level of the costo-clavicular clamp and at the level of the junction catheter-case. The opacification of the catheter is indicated in case of absence of reflux after checking the good position of Huber's needle in the chamber and the normal feature of catheter on a lung X-Ray. A normal opacification of chamber is painless without resistance. The progress of the contrast agent in the catheter has to be made without extravasation nor link. The product then has to wash itself in a homogeneous way in the right cardiac cavities. The complications can be immediate or delayed and are represented by malposition, thrombotic complications and mechanical complications such as reversal of chamber, extravasation, fracure of the catheter, kinking, buckles, migration of the chamber, fracture and embolism of the catheter and pinch off syndrome). These various patterns are presented in this article.