Background and objective In a randomized, placebocontrolled, double-blind trial, we compared the ef®cacy of dolasetron and metoclopramide in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting in women undergoing hysterectomy. Methods Patients were allocated randomly to one of three groups: group A (n 50) received 50 mg dolasetron orally, group B (n 50) received 20 mg metoclopramide intravenously and placebo orally, group C (n 50) received placebo orally. If patients complained of retching or vomiting, or if patients demanded an antiemetic, 1.25 mg droperidol was administrated intravenously. To quantify postoperative nausea and vomiting the following score was used: 0 no nausea, 1 nausea, 2 retching, 3 single vomiting, 4 multiple vomiting. The Raatz test was used to analyse postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) scores. Results Dolasetron reduced the postoperative nausea and vomiting score signi®cantly (P < 0.02 vs. metoclopramide; P < 0.0001 vs. placebo). Metoclopramide also reduced the postoperative nausea