Ultrasound guidance for placing epidurals when spine bumps are hard to feel
Part of Pain clinical trials.
This study is testing whether using ultrasound to guide the placement of an epidural catheter (a tube in your back for pain relief) works better than the usual method for people whose spine bumps are hard to feel. If you are having planned general surgery and need an epidural, ultrasound guidance may help place it more accurately and reduce attempted pokes.
Summary written for real people, not researchers, by Clin2.
Who can take part
- You are aged 18 to 60.
- You are scheduled for a planned (not emergency) general surgery procedure.
- Your care team plans to place an epidural catheter (a small tube in your back for pain relief) as part of your anesthesia.
- Your health status falls within ASA I–III (mild to moderate health risk, not severe).
- The bony bumps along your spine (spinous processes) are hard to feel — this is a sign that ultrasound guidance might be especially helpful.
- You do not have scoliosis or other major spine deformities, and you do not have any condition that makes an epidural unsafe.
Quick eligibility check
Answer a few plain-language questions, based on this study's own requirements, to get a preliminary sense of fit.
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