High quality labour analgesia using small gauge epidural needles and catheters.

Purpose: Inadvertent epidural needle punctures represent the leading cause of severe postdural puncture headache (PDPH) in parturients. Use of small gauge (G) epidural needles for continuous analgesia has received little attention despite possible important reductions in PDPH. We report the first study to examine the feasibility of using small G Tuohy needles and 23 G catheters for labour analgesia.