ABSTRACT
Spinal anesthesia was first used in pediatric patients, but the technique never gained as large an acceptance as in adults, although sporadic reports continued to appear in the literature. Since 1975, several studies have brought to light some new features of spinal anesthesia, especially in high-risk infants, and provided a new look at the technique. The main alternate regional procedure to spinal anesthesia in pediatrics is caudal anesthesia. Spinal anesthesia requires more precautionary measures and provides less postoperative pain relief than epidural blocks via the caudal route. The arachnoid is a delicate membrane which envelops the spinal cord and surrounds the spinal roots at their emergence from the spinal cord. It is separated from the dura mater by the subdural space and from the pia mater by the subarachnoid space, which contains the cerebrospinal fluid. Spinal anesthesia is a single-shot procedure in pediatrics; therefore, only thin needles should be used.
