title: Is spinal anaesthesia at L2-L3 interspace safe in disorders of the vertebral column? A magnetic resonance imaging study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The varying point at which the spinal cord terminates in the lumbar spinal canal may affect the incidence of spinal cord injuries associated with needle insertion for spinal anaesthesia, especially in patients with vertebral body or intervertebral disc disease. This is a complication which has been frequently reported when spinal needle insertion was performed at higher lumbar spinal levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed magnetic resonance images of the spine in 1047 Chinese patients to determine the conus medullaris terminus (CMT) in patients with and without vertebral disorders. Patients with tumours in and around the spine and those with congenital spinal anomalies were excluded from the study. Patients with mixed vertebral disorders were also excluded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data demonstrate that patients with thoracic vertebral compression fractures had lower ending points of the CMT than those without (P<0.05), while patients with lumbar compression fractures did not demonstrate such a correlation. With regard to this difference, females were significantly at higher risk for a lower CMT than males. Conversely, lumbar disc disorders such as intervertebral disc extrusion, herniation, or bulging did not have any significant influence on the level of CMT. Moreover, patients with spondylolisthesis or scoliosis did not demonstrate an abnormal CMT location.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When performing spinal anaesthesia, anaesthesiologists should be aware of potential differences of the CMT location, particularly in female patients with thoracic vertebral compression fractures, who may have a lower CMT than normal, extending to the level of L2. Performing spinal anaesthesia at the L2-L3 interspace would seem to be ill-advised in this patient population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, PR China.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Bebawy
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D050815:Fractures, Compression / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology