الفهرس 
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Abstract
Labor pain is very distressing to most parturients. It may lead to many hazardous effects not only to the mother but also to her baby. Epidural block is considered to be one of the most effective methods in modern labor analgesia. The aim of this thesis was to compare the effects of two different concentrations of ropivacaine (0.125% & 0.25%) mixed with sufentanil for vaginal delivery. Two methods of administration have been used, either continuous epidural infusion or intermittent bolus doses on parturients? request for analgesia. Our study was conducted on 300 parturients aged 2033 years old with ASA physical status I or II between May 2002 and Febuary 2005 in the fully equipped delivery room at Mansoura University Hospital. They were presented during active labor having a single full term fetus (more than 37 weeks gestation) in a vertex presentation requesting epidural analgesia. This protocol was approved by our local ethical committee and informed consent was obtained from each participant. In conclusion, under the conditions of the present study, epidurally administered ropivacaine 0.25% was more effective than ropivacaine 0.125% for pain relief during labor whether it is given on demand or by continuous infusion. Although mild motor impairment occured more frequently with the higher concentration, it did not clinically affect the progress of labor. There were no clinicaly significant maternal or fetal adverse effects