Retroperitoneal leakage as an important cause of acquired ultrafiltration decline in peritoneal dialysis: clinical characteristics and related risk factors

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a widely-used renal replacement therapy while low ultrafiltration volume usually results in technique failure. Retroperitoneal leakage has been reported to be one of the causes of acquired decline in ultrafiltration. The present study investigated retroperitoneal leakage in PD patients and explored related risk factors.

This study was designed as a prospective, observational study. A total of 420 PD patients regularly followed up at our center were enrolled from May 2011 to July 2021 and followed until December 2021. Retroperitoneal leakage was determined by magnetic resonance peritoneography and was used as the endpoint. Patients with retroperitoneal leakage were given intermittent PD or temporary hemodialysis (HD) as therapy. Cox regression models were used to identify risk factors for retroperitoneal leakage.

The cohort was followed up for up to 125.0 months (median: 46.4 months; interquartile range: 16.6 months). During the follow-up, 68 patients developed retroperitoneal leakage, with 31 (45.6%) cases occurring within the first year after PD initiation. A total of 62 (91.2%) patients recovered from retroperitoneal leakage and resumed their original PD regimen. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that age and gender were independent predictors for retroperitoneal leakage. Younger males were more likely to develop retroperitoneal leakage. In females, waistline and body mass index (BMI) were found to be risk factors for retroperitoneal leakage.

Retroperitoneal leakage was common in PD patients with ultrafiltration insufficiency and was usually reversible after appropriate treatment. Age and gender were independent risk factors for retroperitoneal leakage.