Objective      To investigate the effects of patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) and patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) on platelet activation in patients with colonic carcinoma operation.       Methods      Seventy patients with colonic carcinoma

in accordance with the random number table

were divided into 2 groups

group PCEA (

n

=35) and group PCIA (

n

=35). The drugs of group PCEA included sufentanil 0.5 μg/mL+levebupivacaine 4 mg/mL

with background infusion 3 mL/h. The drugs of group PCIA included sufentanil 1 μg/mL+ondansetron 8 mg+vitamin B6 100 mg

with background infusion 2.5 mL/h. VAS score after operation was controlled to not greater than 3. The concentrations of granule membrane protein-140 (GMP-140)

insulin

cortisol and blood glucose were measured in 30 min before operation

1 h after operation beginning

and 30 min

4 h

12 h

24 h

and 48 h after the end of operation (T

1

to T

7

respectively). VAS score and adverse reaction were also recorded.       Results      Thirty-four cases in group PCEA and thirty-two cases in group PCIA were involved separately. The concentration of GMP-140 in group PCEA was significantly lower than that in group PCIA at T

5~7

(

P

0.01). There was no statistical difference in the concentrations of insulin and cortisol in plasma and blood glucose between the 2 groups at different time points (

P

0.05). The VAS score of group PCEA was lower than that of group PCIA at T

4~7

(

P

0.01). The incidence  of nausea and vomiting in group PCEA was lower than that in group PCIA (

P

0.01). Respiratory depression did not occurred in the 2 groups.       Conclusion      PCEA

with less adverse reactions and better inhibitory effects on platelet activation than PCIA

is a superior choice for patients with colonic carcinoma operation.