• Yuji Kamimura, Azusa Nagai, Toshiyuki Nakanishi, Tatsuya Tsuji, Motoshi Tanaka, and Kazuya Sobue.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, 467-8601, Japan. ez4pixy1118@gmail.com.
• J Anesth. 2022 Apr 1; 36 (2): 270-275.

PurposeWe aimed to investigate intersected vertebral level changes in the palpated intercristal line (PI-line) when shifting from a sitting to a lateral decubitus position in parturients.MethodsWe consecutively enrolled parturients with a gestational age of ≥36 weeks. The attending anesthesiologists palpated the superior aspects of the posterior iliac crests bilaterally in a sitting position and then in a lateral decubitus position. The blinded investigators performed the ultrasound and recorded the intersected segment level of the PI-line. The distance between any two consecutive vertebral interspaces was divided into 3 segments, and comparisons were made with 15 segments of five vertebral interspaces above the sacrum. The primary outcome was the concordance rate of intersected segment level of the PI-line between the two positions. We also examined the intersected segment level of the PI-line of the two positions and the magnitude of these changes.ResultsThirty-nine parturients were analyzed. The concordance rate of intersected segment levels of the PI-line between the two positions was 21% (8/39). In 56% (22/39) of the parturients, the intersected segment level of the PI-line in the sitting position was more cephalad and 23% (9/39) were more caudal. Fifteen percent (6/39) of parturients had three or more segment differences between the two positions.ConclusionsThe intersected segment level of the PI-line, measured with trisected segments in each vertebral interspace, was different between the sitting and the lateral decubitus positions in approximately 80% of the parturients. Notably, 15% (6/39) of the parturients had at least one vertebral interspace deviation.© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Japanese Society of Anesthesiologists.

8 keywords...

hide…