Abstract
Although the epidural anesthesia is essential for less invasive surgery, medical accidents of the epidural puncture happened From former study with the porcine spines, author proposed the reason for the epidural puncture that the ligamentum flavum deform during the epidural needle insertion. In order to check if the human ligamentum flavum deform during the epidural needle insertion actually, Young's modulus of the ligamentum flavum was measured as a fundamental bio-mechanical property. Six porcine spines from a slaughter house were employed. Cross sectional area was measured with an X-ray CT image. Tensile tests toward horizontal and perpendicular direction were done. Stress-strain diagram for 16 specimens exhibited nonlinear slope. Young's modulus was obtained as the slope where the strain was more than 0.5 Averaged Young's modulus was 0.3 MPa for both horizontal and perpendicular directions. Fundamental data could be measured for a finite element analysis.
