Comparison Between Palpatory and Preprocedural Ultrasound Guided Techniques on Performance of Spinal Anesthesia

Pre-procedural ultrasound for Spinal \& Epidural anesthesia is now being increasingly performed worldwide. Pre-procedural ultrasound assessment of the spine has been shown to facilitate the placement of epidural anesthesia in pregnant women, diagnostic lumbar punctures, performance of spinal anesthesia in non-obstetric patients and accurate identification of the interspace at which the puncture is being performed. This is especially important during spinal anesthesia, where puncture below the ending of the spinal cord is recommended for safety. The purpose of this study is to compare the performance of spinal anesthesia between the pre-procedural ultrasound assessment of the spine and the traditional palpatory technique, in term pregnant women undergoing elective cesarean delivery. Furthermore, we aim to describe sonoanatomic features of the spine that could predict the ease of insertion of spinal anesthesia in that patient population. We hypothesize that in term pregnant women undergoing elective cesarean delivery, pre-procedural ultrasound assessment of the spine will improve the success rate of spinal anesthesia at first attempt, compared to the traditional palpatory technique.