Trial reportJournal of medical ultrasonics (2001)2026
Accuracy of ultrasound-guided lumbar vertebral level identification: a comparative study with palpation in elderly patients with spinal deformities.
Trial report in Journal of medical ultrasonics (2001), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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8 authors.
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Abstract
purposeAccurate identification of lumbar vertebral levels is crucial for the success of various interventional procedures, but conventional fluoroscopic guidance exposes both patients and physician to radiation. While ultrasound has emerged as a potential radiation-free alternative, its accuracy in elderly patients with spinal deformities remains unclear.
methodsIn this single-center cross-sectional study, we compared ultrasound-guided versus palpation-guided lumbar level identification in 115 patients scheduled for lumbar surgery between July 2019 and January 2020. Patients were randomly assigned to ultrasound guidance (U group, n = 57) or conventional palpation (P group, n = 58). The primary outcome measure was accuracy of vertebral level identification, verified by intraoperative fluoroscopy.
resultsThe U group demonstrated significantly higher accuracy (82.5%) compared to the P group (50.0%) (p = 0.0003, 95% CI [1.5-4.4]). Accuracy was particularly high at the L4 level (U group: 90.3%, P group: 55.9%, p = 0.0023). After adjusting for age and planned needle insertion site, ultrasound guidance maintained superior accuracy (OR = 5.5, 95% CI: 2.3-14.0, p = 0.0002).
conclusionsUltrasound guidance provides superior accuracy in lumbar level identification compared to conventional palpation, even in elderly patients with spinal deformities. This technique may offer a reliable, radiation-free alternative, potentially reducing radiation exposure while maintaining high accuracy.
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