• J H Bahk, J H Kim, J S Lee, and S C Lee.
• Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Korea.
• Reg Anesth Pain Med. 1998 May 1;23(3):262-5.

Background And ObjectivesThis study was performed to devise a method for predicting epidural depth more accurately with a variety of physical measurements not previously studied.MethodsComputed tomography was used to accurately measure the L3-4 epidural depth. The inclusion criteria were restricted to healthy men, 20-25 years of age, in order to rule out the influences of age and sex.ResultsSignificant correlations with depth from skin to the center of the "triangular" posterior epidural space (Sk-Ep) were found for waist circumference, waist circumference/height ratio, body mass index (BMI), weight/height ratio, weight/neck circumference ratio, and weight. The depth from the supraspinous ligament to the center of the posterior epidural space (SI-Ep) did not correlate with any physical measurements. However, Sk-Sl, which equals Sk-Ep minus Sl-Ep (ie, the depth from the skin to the supraspinous ligament) correlated with waist circumference/height ratio, waist circumference, BMI, and weight/height ratio.ConclusionAddition of the physical parameters such as waist circumference/neck circumference ratio or BMI results in a higher predictive value for epidural depth than use of more traditional physical parameters such as weight/height ratio and/or weight only. The value of Sl-Ep is independent of any physical parameters. Thus, the significant correlation between the physical measurements and the epidural depth seems to be due only to obesity-related factors.

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