Design of a precision guidance system for epidural anesthesia

Abstract

In this paper, we propose an ultrasound image guided system to help the anaesthetist to perform epidural needle placement. Ultrasound images are utilized to find a best insertion point and insertion angle for the epidural needle. While various methods have been proposed to identify the epidural space, and to ensure that the epidural needle will be placed at the exact place without puncturing the dura mater. The proposed system is designed to greatly facilitate the anaesthetists work, improve the successful rate of epidural needle placement, as well as improve the efficiency of epidural anaesthesia.