The role of ultrasonography in obstetric anesthesia

Ultrasonography is increasingly being viewed as an everyday tool in obstetric anesthesia. For the administration of spinal or epidural anesthesia, it reduces needle redirection attempts in patients with difficult anatomy. In the less frequent scenario of a collapsed patient, it helps with assessment in the form of transthoracic echocardiography. Abdominal blocks require ultrasound guidance for safe and anatomically correct placement. Accurate assessment of gastric volume status with ultrasound would be a useful everyday skill if it is adopted into mainstream practice. We provide a summary of current opinions on the role of ultrasound in practice and highlight the potential for its future use in obstetric anesthesia.