Zoumprouli A, et al. - Authors performed this prospective randomised controlled study to test the hypothesis that postoperative thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) with ropivacaine or a combination of ropivacaine and morphine accelerates postoperative gastrointestinal (GI) function and shortens the duration of postoperative ileus following major thoracic surgery compared to intravenous (IV) morphine. As per findings, the motility of the whole GI system delayed postoperatively following thoracic surgery. In comparison to intravenous morphine, continuous epidural analgesia with or without morphine seemed improving GI motility. These differences were more notable on the third postoperative day.