Aim Catheter migration is an important cause of catheter malfunction in peritoneal dialysis (PD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of early detection of catheter migration on clinical outcomes. Methods A retrospective review of 135 consecutive patients initiating PD immediately following catheter insertion from 2002 to 2017 was undertaken. In order to detect catheter migration without malfunction early, serial abdominal‐pelvic radiographic examinations were performed according to a predefined protocol. Conservative management with rigorous catharsis was undertaken to correct catheter migration. A Kaplan–Meier method was used to calculate survival rate. Results Mean follow‐up period was 42.8 ± 34.9 months. Catheter migration occurred in 62.4%. Among them, 85.9% occurred within the first 2 weeks after catheter insertion. There were no significant associations between catheter migration and variables such as gender, obesity, DM and type of catheter. Success rate of conservative management with rigorous catharsis was 91.1%. Catheter survival at 1 and 5 years were 91.5% and 64.6% in the migration group and 81.2% and 69.9% in the non‐migration group, respectively (Log–rank test, P = 0.915). Patient survival at 1 and 5 years were 96.8% and 85.8% in the migration group and 91.9% and 82.3% in the non‐migration group, respectively (P = 0.792). Conclusion Early detection of PD catheter migration allowed the migrated tip to be easily corrected with conservative management. Once the migrated catheter tip was restored, catheter migration itself did not affect catheter survival. These findings suggest that early detection and correction of catheter migration is important for improving clinical outcomes.