The Tokai journal of experimental and clinical medicine
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Tokai J. Exp. Clin. Med. · Jun 2004
Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialStraight advancement of epidural catheter--comparative assessments by method and site of epidural needle puncture and angle of puncture.
The catheter straight advancement rate for introduction into the epidural space was investigated using a radiopaque catheter. One hundred patients were divided into two groups and underwent thoracic or lumbar epidural punctures, with one of two different puncture methods: the median approach or paramedian approach. ⋯ A catheter was inserted into the epidural space about 5 cm cephalad and the course of the inserted catheter was ascertained by radiography. The results have shown that punctures performed at an insertion angle of 50-60 degrees yielded higher catheter straight advancement rates than those performed at an angle of 90 degrees in both thoracic and lumbar epidural punctures.