Comparative Study between Ultrasound-Guided and Conventional Method of Epidural Anesthesia

Abstract

Lumbar epidural anesthesia is a commonly performed anesthetic and/or analgesic technique. The use of regional anesthesia, when possible, has proven to be safer and more effective than general anesthesia. It decreases morbidity and mortality, provides better postoperative analgesia, is cost effective, as well as it has less postoperative complications. However, neuroaxial blocks can occasionally be challenging to perform, particularly if the spinal anatomy is altered or obscured by factors such as obesity, spinal deformities, or previous spine surgery. Technical difficulty can result in procedural failure, suboptimal epidural analgesia, and increased needle trauma. It may also increase the risk of both minor and major complications such as postdural puncture headache, backache, epidural hematoma and spinal cord injury. The aim of the present study was to compare ultrasound guidance for pre procedure identification of epidural space, real-time ultrasound guided and conventional landmark techniques.