Sclerosing peritonitis: identification of diagnostic, clinical, and radiological features.

Abstract

Sclerosing peritonitis is a rare, but serious complication of peritoneal dialysis. To attempt the early identification of patients at risk of developing this life-threatening problem, we performed a cross-sectional study of 15 patients: five had died of sclerosing peritonitis, four had stopped peritoneal dialysis because sclerosing peritonitis was suspected, and six were considered to be at increased risk because of more than 4 years on peritoneal dialysis. We examined the duration of dialysis, number of episodes of peritonitis, strength of peritoneal dialysis bags, the type of dialysate, and the use of beta blockers. We also used a number of radiologic investigations, including abdominal x-..