BACKGROUND: Epidural morphine is used commonly for postoperative pain control. But, pruritus, although trivial, is a common side effect. It is reported that subhypnotic doses of propofol are effective against pruritus induced by epidural or subarachnoid morphine. METHODS: Sixty five patients received epidural morphine 4 mg bolus and 4 mg/day with continuous infusion for 2 days via Baxter infusor. The patients who have pruritus with scratching were allocated randomly to receive either 1 ml propofol(10 mg) or 1 ml placebo(Intralipos ) intravenously. Pruritus was assessed 5 min later using a pruritus rating scale with double-blind, placebo-controlled study. RESULTS: Forty patients showed pruritus with scratching. The overall success rate in treating pruritus was 75% in propofol group and 25% in placebo group. Compared with placebo, propofol was effective significantly(P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that propofol in a subhypnotic dose is an efficient drug treatment for epidural morphine induced pruritus.