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Updated: Jul 24, 2026
State of the Art Cranial Ultrasound Imaging in Neonates
Published on: February 2, 2015
Determining the Spinal Canal Depth in Neonates Using Bedside Ultrasonography
Nidhi Gupta1, H A Venkatesh2, Rajath Pejaver1
1Department of Neonatology, Manipal Hospital, HAL, Old Airport Road, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Objective:
To provide a gestation age- and weight-specific mathematical formula for predicting the optimal depth of spinal needle insertion.
Methods:
The study included 127 neonates between 28 and 40 weeks of gestation and weighing 700 to 4000 grams, and a total of 202 ultrasound examinations were performed. Anterior and posterior borders were delineated using ultrasound and measured as spinal canal depth in lateral decubitus position at L3- L4 vertebral interspace. The mid-spinal canal depth (MSCD) was calculated.
Results:
Spinal canal dimensions showed an increasing trend with an increase in weight and post-menstrual age of the babies. The best correlation was found between weight and MSCD with an r2 of 0.85, which is given by the formula MSCD (cm) = 0.2 X weight in kg + 0.45.
Conclusion:
Knowledge of the spinal canal depth using the formula may facilitate accurate needle placement, thereby decreasing traumatic lumbar puncture.
