Procedural variables during the mid-thoracic epidural access
| LAT group (n=38) | CLO group (n=41) | P value | |
| Needling time (s) | 123.0 (107.0–296.0) | 95.0 (84.0–142.0) | 0.011 |
| Number of needle passes | 2.5 (1.0–5.0) | 1.0 (1.0–3.0) | 0.003 |
| Number of skin punctures | 0.293 | ||
| 1/2/3 | 27 (71.1)/3 (7.9)/8 (21.0) | 35 (85.4)/2 (4.9)/4 (9.7) | |
| Cross-over trial | 7 (18.4) | 1 (2.4) | 0.025 |
| Needle tip location | |||
| Grade 0/1/2 | 3 (9.7)/9 (29.0)/19 (61.3) | 27 (67.5)/11 (27.5)/2 (5.0) | <0.001 |
| Distance from skin to epidural space (cm) | 5.8±0.8 | 5.6±0.5 | 0.308 |
| Radiation dose (cGy×cm2) | 88.5±71.2 | 59.3±35.0 | 0.026 |
Data are expressed as numbers (%) or medians (IQR). LAT and CLO groups comprised patients who underwent mid-thoracic epidural access under the fluoroscopic lateral view and contralateral oblique view, respectively.
CLO, contralateral oblique; LAT, lateral.