[The Mancao cannula--a new system for the facilitation of peridural puncture]

A cannula system for epidural puncture is presented, that has been developed in order to prevent the risk of dural puncture and nerve damage and allows the epidural catheter to be withdrawn without the risk of tearing or cutting off the end. The cannula system ("Mancao-cannula") consists of a sharp outer and a blunt inner needle with a lateral aperture. First experiences in 400 epidural anaesthesias using the Mancao cannula are reported.