Epidural anesthesia during hysterectomy diminishes postoperative pain and urinary cortisol release

To examine the hypothesis that epidural anesthesia throughout lower abdominal surgery would depress both postoperative pain and cortisol release. Forty adult patients undergoing abdominal total hysterectomy were studied. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups. Group G received general anesthesia alone (sevoflurane 1.5%-2.5%); group E received a combination of epidural anesthesia (1.5% mepivacaine) with a light plane of general anesthesia (sevoflurane