Malposition of a Port Catheter in the Azygos Vein: Endovascular Repositioning Using a Long Loop Snare Technique

Abstract

Port catheters provide a reliable, long-term venous access option in children for repeated administration of medications or parenteral nutrition. A cardiac catheterization procedure was performed in a 7-year-old girl in whom lateral chest radiography revealed posterior deviation suggestive of azygos vein malposition. To avoid surgical replacement, a long loop snare technique was employed to safely withdraw the catheter into the superior vena cava with restoration of catheter function. This case highlights that endovascular long loop snare repositioning offers a feasible, minimally invasive alternative to surgical intervention for rare port catheter malpositions in pediatric patients.