Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026
Decellularization-Based Quantification of Skeletal Muscle Fatty Infiltration
Published on: June 9, 2023
Intramuscular gluteal injections in the increasingly obese population: retrospective study
1Jersey General Hospital, St Helier, Jersey JE2 3QS. kaltarn@yahoo.co.uk
Aims:
To examine depth of subcutaneous fat at gluteal intramuscular injection sites.
Design:
Retrospective study.
Setting:
General hospital.
Participants:
100 consecutive adults who had computed tomography of the pelvis.
Main Outcome Measures:
Minimum distance between the surface of the skin and the nearest edge of muscle at intramuscular injection sites.
Results:
12 patients had a ventrogluteal site depth of more than 35 mm, the maximum depth of a green needle, and 26 had a ventrogluteal depth of more than 25 mm, the maximum depth of a blue needle. 43 patients had a dorsogluteal site depth of more than 35 mm, and 72 had a dorsogluteal depth of more than 25 mm. The intramuscular site was likely to be deeper in women.
Conclusion:
Standard green and blue needles do not reach the gluteal muscles in a considerable number of patients.
