Ultrasound may make epidurals safer for moms in labor
NCT ID NCT02271100
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether using ultrasound to guide epidural needle placement works better than the traditional method of feeling for landmarks (palpation) in women with labor pain. About 110 healthy pregnant women received an epidural using either ultrasound or palpation. The goal was to see if ultrasound helps place the needle at a safer spot on the spine and reduces risks. Results could lead to more accurate and safer pain relief during childbirth.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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110 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2016
- Finished
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Jan 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 64 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Healthy ASA I or II parturient * Will be receiving neuraxial placement for labor, having been consented for the procedure Exclusion Criteria: * ASA III or IV * Unable to participate in the study due to severe pain * Contraindications to neuraxial analgesia * Previous spinal surgery in the lumbar or sacral area (L1 through Sacrum) * BMI greater than 37 * Height less than 60 inches * Significant scoliosis
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Beth Isreal Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a smarter epidural pump reduce leg weakness during labor?
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- What's the right dose? a trial seeks the sweet spot for labor epidurals