Successful epidural anesthesia in a patient with an extremely shallow epidural space: a case report

Abstract

Although epidural anesthesia is considered relatively safe, unintentional dural puncture or spinal cord injury occurs if the needle is advanced too deep. In this case report, we described a successful epidural anesthesia in an adult patient who has an extremely shallow epidural space (1.5 cm), which is the smallest depth reported in the literature. The distance from the skin to the epidural space should be checked before the procedure to avoid serious complications particularly in small women. The epidural needle should not be advanced beyond a depth of 1.5 cm without loss-of-resistance technique or other methods for identifying the epidural space. The present case report re-emphasizes the importance of basic tips and fundamental techniques used for safe epidural anesthesia. Anesthesiologists should be aware that the epidural space depth could be as small as 1.5 cm even in adult patients.