Abstract
The main technical challenge in central neuraxial blockade is to identify a soft-tissue window into the vertebral canal. Knowledge of the gross bony anatomy of the spine is essential for interpretation of neuraxial ultrasound. It is particularly important to appreciate the contours of the posterior bony surfaces of the spine as these are responsible for the characteristic shapes of the acoustic dropout shadows seen on ultrasound. Pre-procedural ultrasound imaging of the spine is extremely useful in delineating the spinal anatomy more clearly, which permits more accurate planning of needle insertion, trajectory and depth, and in turn improves ease of performance.
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Jankovic, D., Chin, K.J. (2022). Neuraxial Anatomy and Sonoanatomy. In: Jankovic, D., Peng, P. (eds) Regional Nerve Blocks in Anesthesia and Pain Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88727-8_40
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