 Exclusion Criteria:Patients of American Society of Anesthesiologists ASA classes III and IV were excluded. Further exclusion criteria were age more than 80 years; pregnancy; treatment with steroids; severe diabetes mellitus HbA1c 8; use of opioids, sedatives or any kind of analgesics less than one week before LC; a history of alcohol or drug abuse; preoperative diagnosis of acute cholecystitis, acute pancreatitis, choledocolithiasis, gallbladder carcinoma andor conversion of the LC to an open procedure. 