THORACIC AND LUMBAR EXTRADURAL STRUCTURE EXAMINED BY EXTRADUROSCOPE

We examined the extradural space using a flexible extraduroscope in 11 3 patients undergoing extradural anaesthesia. Patients were classified into two groups to receive either thoracic or lumbar extradural anaes thesia as needed for peri-operative analgesia, The extraduroscopy show ed that the thoracic extradural space becomes widely patent after inje cting a given amount of air and that the amount of fatty and fibrous c onnective tissue is less in the thoracic extradural space compared wit h the lumbar extradural space. We suggest that differences between the structure of these two vertebral regions may affect the spread of loc al anaesthetics in the extradural space.