Continuous spinal anaesthesia offers potential advantages over both single-injection spinal anaesthesia and continuous epidural anaesthesia. While clinical experience with it has largely been positive, the appearance of complications associated with the utilization of macrobore and microbore catheters at subarachnoid level has constituted the main limiting factor in the application of the technique. The development of new equipment and clinical applications, and factors contributing to safety and efficacy, are presented.