This study aims to determine whether handheld ultrasound-guidance can reduce procedural time for labor combined spinal-epidural analgesia compared with conventional surface landmark-guided technique.
Parturients who need combined spinal-epidural analgesia for labour analgesia are randomly assigned to two groups. For the handheld ultrasound-assisted technique group, ultrasound with 3D navigation function is used to determine the needle insertion point and the insertion angle. For the conventional palpation-guided technique group, the interspinous space is detected by palpation. Procedure time, the number of needle passes, the number of needle insertion attempts, success rate, and complications are compared.