Radiographic inguinal curl may indicate paraspinal misplacement of percutaneously inserted central venous catheters: report of three cases

Misplacement of percutaneously inserted central venous catheters (PCVCs) into the paraspinal venous plexus can result in devastating outcomes. Several cases have been reported in the literature together with an explanation of the mechanism. To describe three premature babies with their PCVCs inserted through the left saphenous vein that ended up in the lumbar spinal dural venous plexus. Plain radiographs obtained to check positions showed an unusual 360 curl of the PCVC in the left inguinal area. We believe that misplacement of the catheter into the paraspinal venous plexus could be diagnosed with great accuracy if such a curl is seen. (orig.)