Comparison of Direct Radiography and Ultrasonography for the Evaluation of the Umbilical Venous Catheter Position

Objective: To determine the umbilical venous catheter position by ultrasound and radiography, and to compare these two techniques. Material and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the abdominal ultrasound and direct radiography of 20 umbilical venous catheters placed in neonates between March and July 2016. The location of the catheter tips was noted in both techniques. Results: According to direct radiography, the tips of the catheters terminated at the T8-T10 level in 60% of the cases. Whereas, in the remaining 40% of the cases, the tips of the catheters terminated inferiorly at the T11-T12 level. When we consider the tip of the catheter according to the level of right hemidiaphragm on the radiograph, the catheter tips of 35% of the cases terminated at the level of the right hemidiaphragm, while 65% were below the level of the right hemidiaphragm. On ultrasound, the tips of the catheters terminated at the suprahepatic inferior vena cava in 30% of the cases, whereas, the remaining 70% terminated inferiorly and were located in the liver. Furthermore, ultrasound revealed catheter complications in three cases. Conclusion: Ultrasonography seems a reliable technique for the determination of the umbilical venous catheter tip and its position and may be an alternative to direct radiography.