Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2023
Retrodural space of Okada in the posterior ligamentous complex region: clinical and anatomical findings relevant to lumbar interlaminar epidural injection.
The retrodural space of Okada is a potential space posterior to the ligamentum flavum that allows communication with the bilateral facet joints. However, the actual anatomy of this space has not been clearly visualized to date. We sought to investigate the characteristics of patients showing contrast spreading to the facet joint space during epidural injection and to clarify the anatomical structures of the retrodural space and adjacent ligamentous tissues in cadaveric specimens. ⋯ Degenerative and pathological facet joint changes were associated with a higher incidence of spread into the retrodural space during epidural injection. Our findings confirm anatomical evidence for a false loss of resistance before the needle enters the epidural space.