Objectives: To evaluate plasmatic arginine vasopressin (AVP) levels in patients undergoing scheduled conventional abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. Methods: Plasmatic AVP concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay in 22 non-consecutive adult patients undergoing infra-renal AAA repair. They were under combined general and epidural anesthesia at the following time frames: 1 - pre-operative (T0); 2 - 2h (T1) and 6h (T2) after the surgical procedure; 3 - in the morning at the first (T3), second (T4) and third (T5) post-operative days. Some clinical and laboratory variables were also recorded. Results: The mean age of patients was 68±10 years; 17 were males. Plasmatic AVP (mean±SD; pg/mL) was within the normal range at T0 (1.4±0.7; baseline), increasing significantly at T1 (62.6±62.9; P<0.001) and at T2 (31.5±49.7; P<0.001), with a progressive fall, returning to basal levels at T5 (2.1±3.8; P=NS). Positive and statistically significant correlations were found between AVP and glycemia, serum lactate and white blood cells counts, but not with systemic arterial pressure or plasma osmolarity during the postoperative period. Conclusions: Considering that no correlations were found between AVP levels and hemodynamic or plasmatic osmolarity variations in AAA repair, it seems that stress response is mainly secondary to noxious stimulation mediated by the autonomic nervous system that is not completely blocked by anesthetics. Descriptors: Intensive care units. Cardiovascular abnormalities. Receptors, vasopressin.263404412Desborough, J.P., The stress response to trauma and surgery (2000) Br J Anaesth., 85 (1), pp. 109-117Vincent, J.L., Su, F., Physiology and pathophysiology of the vasopressinergic system (2008) Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol., 22 (2), pp. 243-252Miltenberger, F.W., Moran Jr., W.H., Peripheral blood levels of vasopressin (ADH) during surgical procedures (1963) Surg Forum., 14, pp. 54-55Philbin, D.M., Coggins, C.H., Wilson, N., Sokoloski, J., Antidiuretic hormone levels during cardiopulmonary bypass (1977) J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg., 73 (1), pp. 145-148Velissaris, T., Tang, A.T., Murray, M., Mehta, R.L., Wood, P.J., Hett, D.A., A prospective randomized study to evaluate stress response during beating-heart and conventional coronary revascularization (2004) Ann Thorac Surg., 78 (2), pp. 506-512Moran Jr., W.H., Miltenberger, F.W., Shuyab, W.A., Zimmermann, B., The relationship of antidiuretic hormone secretion to surgical stress (1964) Surgery., 56, pp. 99-108Melville, R.J., Forsling, M.L., Frizis, H.I., LeQuesne, L.P., Stimulus for vasopressin release during elective intra-abdominal operations (1985) Br J Surg., 72 (12), pp. 979-982Cochrane, J.P., Forsling, M.L., Gow, N.M., le Quesne, L.P., Arginine vasopressin release following surgical operations (1981) Br J Surg., 68 (3), pp. 209-213Rosendahl, W., Schulz, U., Teufel, T., Irtel von Brenndorf, C., Gupta, D., Surgical stress and neuroendocrine responses in infants and children (1995) J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab., 8 (3), pp. 187-194Yoo, K.Y., Lee, M.K., Jeong, C.W., Kim, S.J., Jeong, S.T., Shin, M.H., Anaesthetic requirement and stress hormone responses in patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery: Anterior vs. posterior approach (2009) Acta Anaesthesiol Scand., 53 (8), pp. 1012-1017Koning, C.G., Vallabhneni, S.R., van Marrewijk, C.J., Leurs, L.J., Laheij, R.J., Buth, J., Procedure-related mortality of endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair using revised reporting standards (2007) Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc., 22 (1), pp. 7-13Kataja, J.H., Kaukinen, S., Viinamäki, O.V., Metsä-Ketelä, T.J., Vapaatalo, H., Hemodynamic and hormonal changes in patients pretreated with captopril for surgery of the abdominal aorta (1989) J Cardiothorac Anesth., 3 (4), pp. 425-432Kataja, J., Thoracolumbar epidural anaesthesia and isoflurane to prevent hypertension and tachycardia in patients undergoing abdominal aortic surgery (1991) Eur J Anaesthesiol., 8 (6), pp. 427-436Lasson, L., Hansen, H.E., Juhl, B., Paaske, W.P., Pedersen, E.B., A randomised, clinical study of the effect of low-dose dopamine on central and renal haemodynamics in infrarenal aortic surgery (1995) Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg., 10 (1), pp. 82-90Kataja, J., Chrapek, W., Kaukinen, S., Pimenoff, G., Salenius, J.P., Hormonal stress response and hemodynamic stability in patients undergoing endovascular vs. conventional abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (2007) Scand J Surg., 96 (3), pp. 236-242Mortality results for randomized controlled trial of early elective surgery or ultrasonographic surveillance for small abdominal aortic aneurysms (1998) Lancet., 352 (9141), pp. 1649-1655. , The UK Small Aneurysm Trial ParticipantsLederle, F.A., Wilson, S.E., Johnson, G.R., Reinke, D.B., Littooy, F.N., Acher, C.W., Immediate repair compared with surveillance of small abdominal aortic aneurysms (2002) N Engl J Med., 346 (19), pp. 1437-1444. , Aneurysm Detection and Management Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study GroupElias, L.L., Antunes-Rodrigues, J., Elias, P.C., Moreira, A.C., Effect of plasma osmolality on pituitary-adrenal responses to corticotropin-releasing hormone and atrial natriuretic peptide changes in central diabetes insipidus (1997) J Clin Endocrinol Metab., 82 (4), pp. 1243-1247Bengtsson, H., Bergqvist, D., Sternby, N.H., Increasing prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysms. A necropsy study (1992) Eur J Surg., 158 (1), pp. 19-23Saadi, E.K., Gastaldo, F., Dussin, L.H., Zago, A.J., Barbosa, G., Moura, L., Tratamento endovascular dos aneurismas de aorta abdominal: Experiência inicial e resultados a curto e médio prazo (2006) Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc., 21 (2), pp. 211-216Chen, J.M., Cullinane, S., Spanier, T.B., Artrip, J.H., John, R., Edwards, N.M., Vasopressin deficiency and pressor hypersensitivity in hemodynamically unstable organ donors (1999) Circulation., 100 (19 SUPPL.), pp. II244-II246Cintra, E.A., McIel Jr., J.A., Araújo, S., Castro, M., Martins, E.F., Falcão, A.L., Vasopressin serum levels in patients with severe brain lesions and in brain-dead patients (2004) Arq Neuropsiquiatr., 62 (2 A), pp. 226-232Lee, W.J., Choo, Y.E., Song, W.Y., Lee, J.C., Kim, K.T., Lee, S.H., Responses of vasopressin release in patients with cardiopulmonary bypass anesthetized with enflurane and morphine (1989) J Korean Med Sci., 4 (2), pp. 71-76Goldmann, A., Hoehne, C., Fritz, G.A., Unger, J., Ahlers, O., Nachtigall, I., Combined vs. Isoflurane/Fentanyl anesthesia for major abdominal surgery: Effects on hormones and hemodynamics (2008) Med Sci Monit., 14 (9), pp. CR445-CR452Donald, R.A., Perry, E.G., Wittert, G.A., Chapman, M., Livesey, J.H., Ellis, M.J., The plasma ACTH, AVP, CRH and catecholamine responses to conventional and laparoscopic cholecystectomy (1993) Clin Endocrinol (Oxf)., 38 (6), pp. 609-615Winterhalter, M., Brandl, K., Rahe-Meyer, N., Osthaus, A., Hecker, H., Hagl, C., Endocrine stress response and inflammatory activation during CABG surgery. A randomized trial comparing remifentanil infusion to intermittent fentanyl (2008) Eur J Anaesthesiol., 25 (4), pp. 326-335Toivonen, J., Plasma renin, catecholamines, vasopressin and aldosterone during hypotension induced by labetalol with isoflurane (1991) Acta Anaesthesiol Scand., 35 (6), pp. 496-501Kruimel, J.W., Pesman, G.J., Sweep, C.G., van der Vliet, J.A., Liem, T., Jansen, J.B., Depression of plasma levels of cytokines and ex-vivo cytokine production in relation to the activity of the pituitary-adrenal axis, in patients undergoing major vascular surgery (1999) Cytokine., 11 (5), pp. 382-388Anderson, P.L., Arons, R.R., Moskowitz, A.J., Gelijns, A., Magnell, C., Faries, P.L., A statewide experience with endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: Rapid diffusion with excellent early results (2004) J Vasc Surg., 39 (1), pp. 10-19Morgenthaler, N., Struck, J., Jochberger, S., Dünser, M.W., Copeptin: Clinical use of a new biomarker (2008) Trends Endocrinol Metab., 19 (2), pp. 43-49Jochberger, S., Zitt, M., Luckner, G., Mayr, V.D., Wenzel, V., Ulmer, H., Postoperative vasopressin and copeptin levels in noncardiac surgery patients: A prospective controlled trial (2009) Shock., 31 (2), pp. 132-138