Study design: prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients and methods: Initially, 165 pregnant full-term females, indicated to be underwent elective cesarean delivery for various indications were randomized equally to either group C (control, IP and IV saline), group IP (intraperitoneal lidocaine administration), or group IV (intravenous lidocaine infusion).Five patients were excluded from each group for various reasons. The outcome measures were postoperative pain scoring, total pethidine consumption and the need for postoperative analgesia.