BACKGROUND: Outpatient surgery has recently grown at a substantial rate. The development and use of short acting anesthetic and analgesic agents have played a major role in the growth of outpatient surgery. This study was designed to evaluate the intraoperative hemodynamic responses and recovery characteristics, using propofol or isoflurane to maintain the anesthesia. METHODS: A total number of 30, ASA physical status I-II patients scheduled for outpatient surgery, all of whom were to undergo excision of breast mass. The patients were randomly allocated to receive either total intravenous anesthesia with propofol, or inhalation anesthesia with isoflurane after induction of anesthesia with propofol. All patients were ventilated via a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) using a mixture of oxygen and air so that the FiO2 would be 0.4. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in hemodynamic changes during anesthesia in recovery time, or in complications between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that both methods provide reasonably rapid and reliable recovery from anesthesia and are equally acceptable to the patients.