Prevention of a side effect of epidural morphine by epidural steroid administration in cesarean section

In order to evaluate the effect of preventive corticosteroid on the occurrence of pruritus after epidural anesthesia with morphine, we studied 95 patients undergoing cesarean section. Thirty-seven patients (group I) were given 20 mg of bupivacaine 0.5% for the operation and 2 mg of morphine hydrochloride with 50 mg of Ultracortene-H immediately after the operation and 24 h later, and 58 patients (group II) were given epidural bupivacaine during the operation and epidural morphine hydrochloride immediately after the operation and 24 h later without Ultracortene-H. Only 8.1% of group I patients had pruritus after the injection compared to 20.6% in group II. We suggest that the addition of 50 mg Ultracortene-H to 2 mg epidural morphine analgesia after the operation might prevent severe forms of pruritus.