title: Intramuscular gluteal injections in the increasingly obese population: retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine depth of subcutaneous fat at gluteal intramuscular injection sites.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  General hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  100 consecutive adults who had computed tomography of the pelvis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Minimum distance between the surface of the skin and the nearest edge of muscle at intramuscular injection sites.
  
  
  RESULTS
  12 patients had a ventrogluteal site depth of more than 35 mm, the maximum depth of a green needle, and 26 had a ventrogluteal depth of more than 25 mm, the maximum depth of a blue needle. 43 patients had a dorsogluteal site depth of more than 35 mm, and 72 had a dorsogluteal depth of more than 25 mm. The intramuscular site was likely to be deeper in women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Standard green and blue needles do not reach the gluteal muscles in a considerable number of patients.
authors.affiliation: Jersey General Hospital, St Helier, Jersey JE2 3QS. kaltarn@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: Andrew Charles
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Nisbet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009339:Needles; D009765:Obesity / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000473:pathology*