Comparison of spinal anaesthesia in traditional sitting position versus cross legged sitting position in parturients undergoing elective cesarean section.

Spinal anaesthesia is a preferred anaesthesia for an elective cesarean section as it has numerous advantages for both baby and mother. Anatomical changes during pregnancy make spinal anaesthesia technically challenging for an anesthesiologist. Patient positioning is very important as it improves the patient comfort, reduces the time taken and the number of attempts required, and also decreases the number of needle to bone contact during the procedure.

In this study, we are comparing the above mentioned points in two positions namely traditional sitting position and cross legged sitting position in women undergoing elective cesarean section.

The study is based on the hypothesis that cross legged sitting position provides optimal lumbar flexion of the spine providing better access to the intervertebral spaces and better patient comfort, as seen in one of the previous studies measuring posterior longitudinal ligament, ligamentum flavum and interlaminar distances, ultrasonographically,  in pregnant women for epidural placement.