BACKGROUND: Women undergoing general anesthesia for breast mass excision have a high risk for postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). We therefore evaluated the efficacy of ramosetron versus granisetron for preventing PONV.

METHODS: One hundred twenty women scheduled for breast mass excision received, in a randomized allocated, double-blind manner, an intravenous placebo (P group), granisetron 40µgram/kg (G group) or ramosetron 6 µgram/kg (R group) at the end of surgery. Emetic episode and side effects were assessed.

RESULTS: The incidence and severity of nausea in G and R group was less than P group (P<0.05) during the first 24 hrs. The incidence of vomiting in R group was less than P group (P<0.05) during the first 6 hrs. However there was no significant difference in the incidence of PONV between G and R group.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that both granisetron and ramosetron significantly decreased the occurrence of PONV compared to placebo. However, any different efficacy for preventing PONV was not revealed between granisetron and ramosetron.