Proceeding of Veterinary and Animal Science Days 2017, 6th- 8th June, Milan, Italy 
 

HAF © 2013 

Vol. IV, No. 1s   ISSN: 2283-3927 

   

 

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Keywords 

Ultrasound, Epidural catheter, Dog, 

Cadaver 

 

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR 

Elisa Silvia D’Urso 

elisasilvia.durso@unimi.it 

 

JOURNAL HOME PAGE 

riviste.unimi.it/index.php/haf 

Abstract 

Several methods are described in veterinary medicine to perform and assess correct epidural needle 

placement to provide effective epidural analgesia (Adami et al. 2017). The aim of this study is to 

evaluate the feasibility of an ultrasound longitudinal sagittal approach to epidural catheter placement 

using a biopsy needle guide. Seven dog cadavers were used in the study. With the cadaver in sternal 

recumbency, a 5-8 MHz microconvex transducer provided with a 16-gauge biopsy guide was 

positioned to obtain a longitudinal sagittal scan of the spinal process of L7 and the sacral crest; the 

epidural space was identified between two parallel hyperechoic lines and, as the trajectory of the 

biopsy guide crossed them, a 17G Tuohy needle was used to insert a 19G epidural catheter. Correct 

catheter placement was visualised through a resection of the column between L2 and L3. Firstly, an 

expert echographist (operator C1) visualised the ultrasonographic landmarks, while catheter 

placement was performed by an expert anaesthetist (operator A), a student (operator B) and another 

expert echographist (operator C2) (double-operator technique); secondly, operator A and C2 

performed alone the whole procedure (single-operator technique); lastly all operators performed a 

blind procedure (Jones, 2001). Operator A failed 2/7 single-operator procedures; time to perform the 

blind technique was statistically lower than the double-operator technique (75 ± 132.4 vs 91.6 ± 79.3 

seconds). Operator C2 failed 3/7 blind procedures, scoring the higher total time of performance (329.3 

± 271.2 seconds), but was able to perform both the double- and single-operator technique without 

significant difference with operator A, despite a faster time in positioning the probe. Operator B 

showed a higher repositioning attempts of the needle with the double-operator procedure compared 

to the blind one. Ultrasound guidance appears to be a promising technique to ease catheter 

placement also by operators inexperienced of locoregional techniques. 

 

References 

Adami, C., Gendron, K., 2017. What is the evidence? The issue of verifying correct needle position during epidural anaesthesia in 
dogs. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.vaa.2016.03.003  

Jones, R.S., 2001. Epidural analgesia in dogs and cats. The Veterinary Journal. 161, 123–131 

Ultrasound-guided epidural catheter 

placement with a new technique:  

preliminary cadaveric study. 

Elisa S. D’Urso1*, Stefano Faverzani1, Gabriele Barella1,  

Federica Di Cesare2, Daniela Gioeni1, Vanessa Rabbogliatti1,  

Damiano Stefanello1, Giuliano Ravasio1 

 

 

 

1 University of Milan, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Italy 

2 University of Milan, Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, Italy.  

 

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en