321COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DEXMEDETOMIDINE AND CLONIDINE AS AN ADJUVANT TO ROPIVACAINE IN EPIDURAL ANAESTHESIAEfforts to find a better adjuvant in regional anaesthesia are underway since long. Various adjuvant are being used with local anesthetics for prolongation of intra operative and postoperative analgesia in epidural block for hysterectomy. The objective of the study is to compare the analgesic and sedative effects of Dexmedetomidine and Clonidine when used epidurally as an adjuvant to 0.75% Ropivacaine in patients undergoing total abdominal hysterectomy.: A prospective randomized study was carried out which included 50 adult female patients between the ages of 20-65 years of ASAI/II grade who posted for total abdominal hysterectomy hysterectomies. The patients were randomly allocated into two groups; ropivacaine + dexmedetomidine (RD) and ropivacaine + clonidine (RC), comprising of 25 patients each.patients in group RC were received 17 ml of 0.75% ropivacaine and 2 μg/kg of clonidine. Patients in group RD were administered 17 ml solution of 0.75% ropivacaine and 1.5 μg/kg of dexmedetomidine. Addition of Dexmedetomidine to ropivacaine as an adjuvant resulted in an earlier onset of sensory analgesia at T10. RD group not only provided a higher dermatomal spread but also helped in achieving the maximum sensory anaesthetic level in a shorter period compared to RC group. Dexmedetomidine provided a smooth and prolonged post operative analgesia as compared to clonidine. The evidence was very much visible in the prolonged time to two segmental dermatomal regression. As a result the time for rescue analgesia was comparatively shorter in the patients who were administered clonidine. The side effect profile was insignificant on comparision. Dexmedetomidine was quite satisfactory as compared to clonidine because of it superior sedative and anxiolytic properties during the surgical procedure under regional anaesthesiadrg.harinath@gmail.comResearch592015Clonidine,Dexmedetomidine,Ropivacaine,Total abdominal hysterectomyG.Harinath,Rajeev KaparthiAssociate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Gandhi Medical college, Padmarao Nagar, Secunderabad, Telangana, India.,Post gradute, Department of Anesthesiology, Gandhi Medical college, Padmarao Nagar, Secunderabad, Telangana, India.