In order to overcome the defect of acupuncture anesthesia

such as in- completeness of analgesic effect

we performed 24 subtotal gastrectomies with combination of epidural and aculaser anesthesia. The anesthetic effects on subtotal gastrectomy in a group of pateints by using acupuncture anesthesia with "good" (grade 2)effect and in another group by conteanous epidural anesthesia were compared. The following indices were chosen as the observed norms

The average rate of pain

the average rate of referred pain of stomach

the change scale of mean blood pressure and pulse rate

mean total dose of analgesics

mean dose of analgesics per hour and the amount of pressor agent to be used. Result: 1. The analgesic effect of combined acu-laser anesthesia was increased. Blood pressure and pulse rate by this anesthetic method were less affected than by epidural anesthesia. 2. In combined acu-laser anesthesia

the mean total dose of analgesics was reduced by about a half (P<0.05).Mean dose per hour reduced by nearly one third.