Dexamethasone 8 mg in combination with ondansetron 4 mg appears to be the optimal dose for the prevention of nausea and vomiting after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Aapro MS, Alberts DS. Dexamethasone as an antiemetic in patients treated with cisplatin (Letter). N Engl J Med 1981; 305: 520.

Pearman MH. Single dose intravenous ondansetron in the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Anaesthesia 1994; 49(Suppl.): 11–5.

Smith DB, Newlands ES, Rustin GJS, et al. Comparison of ondansetron and ondansetron plus dexamethasone as antiemetic prophylaxis during cisplatin-containing chemotherapy. Lancet 1991; 338: 487–90.

Koivuranta MK, Laara E, Ryhanen PT. Antiemetic efficacy of prophylactic ondansetron in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Anaesthesia 1996; 51: 52–5.

Wang JJ, Ho ST, Lee SC, Liu YC, Liu YH, Liao YC. The prophylactic effect of dexamethasone on postoperative nausea and vomiting in women undergoing thyroidectomy: a comparison of droperidol with saline. Anesth Analg 1999; 89: 200–3.

Splinter WM, Robert DJ. Dexamethasone decreases vomiting by children after tonsillectomy. Anesth Analg 1996; 83: 913–6.

Fujii Y, Tanaka H, Toyooka H. The effects of dexamethasone on antiemetics in female patients undergoing gynecologic surgery. Anesth Analg 1997; 85: 913–7.

Tzeng JI, Wang JJ, Ho ST, Tang CS, Liu YC, Lee SC. Dexamethasone for prophylaxis of nausea and vomiting after epidural morphine for post-caesarean section analgesia: comparison of droperidol and saline. Br J Anaesth 2000; 85: 865–8.

McSherry CK, Ferstenberg H, Calhoun WE, Lahman E, Virshup M. The natural history of diagnosed gallstone disease in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Ann Surg 1985; 202: 59–63.

Scheinin B, Kellokumpu L, Lindgren L, Haglund C, Rosenberg PH. Effect of intraperitoneal bupivacaine on pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 1995; 39: 195–8.

Lerman J. Study design in clinical research: sample size estimation and power analysis. Can J Anaesth 1996; 43: 184–91.

Apfel CC, Laara E, Koivuranta M, Greim CA, Roewer N. A simplified risk score for predicting postoperative nausea and vomiting. Conclusions from cross-validations between two centers. Anesthesiology 1999; 91: 693–700.

White LA, Vanarase M, Brockbank K, Barrett RF. Patient-controlled analgesia and postoperative nausea and vomiting: efficacy of a continuous infusion of ondansetron. Anaesthesia 2001; 56: 365–9.

Bowhay AR, May HA, Rudnicka AR, Booker PD. A randomized controlled trial of the antiemetic effect of three doses of ondansetron after strabismus surgery in children. Paediatr Anaesth 2001; 11: 215–21.

McKenzie R, Kovac A, O’Connor T, et al. Comparison of ondansetron versus placebo to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting in women undergoing ambulatory gynecologic surgery. Anesthesiology 1993; 78: 21–8.

Wang JJ, Ho ST, Liu HS, Ho CM. Prophylactic antiemetic effect of dexamethasone in women undergoing ambulatory laparoscopic surgery. Br J Anaesth 2000; 84: 459–62.

Subramanian B, Madan R, Sadhasivam S, et al. Dexamethasone is a cost-effective alternative to ondansetron in preventing PONV after paediatric strabismus repair. Br J Anaesth 2001; 86: 84–9.

Rich WM, Abdulhayoglu G, DiSaia PJ. Methylprednisolone as an antiemetic during cancer chemotherapy — a pilot study. Gynecol Oncol 1980; 9: 193–8.

Fredrikson M, Hursti T, Furst CJ, et al. Nausea in cancer chemotherapy is inversely related to urinary cortisol excretion. Br J Cancer 1992; 65: 779–80.

Harris AL. Cytotoxic-therapy-induced vomiting is mediated via enkephalin pathways. Lancet 1982; 1: 714–6.

Liu K, Hsu CC, Chia YY. Effect of dexamethasone on postoperative emesis and pain. Br J Anaesth 1998; 80: 85–6.

Liu K, Hsu CC, Chia YY. The effective dose of dexamethasone for antiemesis after major gynecological surgery. Anesth Analg 1999; 89: 1316–8.

Huang JC, Shieh JP, Tang CS, Tzeng JI, Chu KS, Wang JJ. Low-dose dexamethasone effectively prevents post-operative nausea and vomiting after ambulatory laparoscopic surgery. Can J Anesth 2001; 48: 973–7.

Baxendale BR, Vater M, Lavery KM. Dexamethasone reduces pain and swelling following extraction of third molar teeth. Anaesthesia 1993; 48: 961–4.