The effect of intraperitoneal bupivacaine on postoperative pain was studied in 60 ASA 1-2 patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The patients were randomly selected (20 patients in each group) to receive in double-blind fashion 100 mo of either plain 0.15% bupivacaine (150 mg.100 ml-1) or the same solution with adrenaline (1.5 micrograms ml-1), or the same volume of saline into the right subdiaphragmatic space at the end of surgery. The patients were kept in the Trendelenburg's position for 20 min after the instillation. Venous blood samples for the determination of bupivacaine plasma concentrations were drawn up to 180 min. Plasma bupivacaine concentrations peaked at 30 min (highest individual value 2.6 micrograms ml-1) after instillation. Bupivacaine concentrations were significantly lower in the bupivacaine-adrenaline group. During the follow-up no difference between the groups occurred as to the time to first demand of analgesia, severity of postoperative pain, amount of consumed analgesics during 7 days, and length of hospitalization. In all groups, 30-45% of the patients complained of right shoulder pain. After the first 24 hours, pain at rest and during moving was reported as mild and was managed with oral ketoprofen. It is concluded that postsurgical intraperitoneal instillation of 150 mg bupivacaine in 100 ml of saline had no effect on pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.