Effects of epidural saline injection on cerebrospinal fluid volume and velocity waveform: a magnetic resonance imaging study.

BACKGROUND The phenomenon of epidural "top-up" (increased spread of local anesthetic due to epidural fluid injection) is explained partly by an epidural volume effect. This study was designed to investigate the change in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volume and velocity waveform induced by epidural saline injection. METHODS (1) Lumbar epidural catheters were placed in 28 patients. Magnetic resonance images were obtained for measurements of lumbosacral CSF volume and velocity waveform. Saline was injected into the epidural space through the catheter to three groups of randomly assigned patients: 5-ml saline (n = 10), 10-ml saline (n = 9), and 15-ml saline (n = 9) groups. A repeat image series was performed after epidural injection to compare CSF volume and velocity waveform before and after epidural injection. (2) We also examined the time course of dural sac compression after epidural saline injection in a separate series. Seven axial images at disk levels from T11-T12 to L5-S1 were obtained before injection and 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 min after 10-ml saline injection to compare each dural area before and after injection. RESULTS (1) Saline injected through the epidural catheter compressed the dural sac with variability of the extent of compression, resulting in a significantly decreased CSF volume in all patients (P <== 0.001). The mean reductions in CSF volume were 2.0 +/- 1.0 ml in the 5-ml group, 4.4 +/- 1.4 in the 10-ml group, and 7.2 +/- 2.6 in the 15-ml group. There were significant differences among the three groups (P < 0.05 approximately 0.001). After the saline injection, the synchronization between the CSF velocity waveform and the cardiac cycle disappeared in significantly more patients in the 10-ml group (7 of 9 patients) than in the other groups (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant relation between measures of CSF velocity waveform and dural area in any patient. (2) The maximum reduction of the sum of the total of seven disk areas occurred 5 min after epidural saline injection; thereafter, dural compression was gradually restored but did not return to the value before injection for 30 min. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that the reduction in CSF volume was injection-volume dependent, dural compression lasted at least 30 min after saline injection, and the changes of the CSF flow dynamics did not correlate with the degree of dural sac compression.