[Insufficient analgesia following epidural application of morphine in obstetrics (author's transl)].

Seventeen parturients in regular and painful labor received lumbar epidural analgesia with 3 - 10 mg morphine. The degree of analgesia was determined with a linear visual analgesia scale (14).30 min after the injection, the decrease of pain was sufficient only in one parturient. Following injections of 10 ml 0,25% bupivacaine resulted in good analgesia for all parturients. Possible causes for the insufficient efficacy of epidural morphine in obstetrics are discussed.