AIM: To determine the efficacy of perioperative parecoxib injection on postoperative pain relief after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.METHODS: A prospective, double-blind, randomized,placebo-controlled study was conducted on 70 patients who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anesthesia at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok,from January 2006 to December 2007. Patients were randomized to receive either 20 mg parecoxib infusion 30 min before induction of anesthesia and at 12 h after the first dose (treatment group), or normal saline infusion, in the same schedule, as a placebo (control group). The degree of the postoperative pain was assessed every 3 h in the first 24 h after surgery, and then every 12 h the following day, using a visual analog scale. The consumption of analgesics was also recorded.RESULTS: There were 40 patients in the treatment group, and 30 patients in the control group. The pain scores at each time point, and analgesic consumption did not differ between the two groups. However,there were fewer patients in the treatment group than placebo group who required opioid infusion within the first 24 h (60% vs 37%, P = 0.053).