BACKGROUND The effects of selective alpha-agonist medetomidine and alpha 2-antagonist atipamezole on gastrointestinal motility were studied. METHODS The passage of intragastrically administered Evans blue in the small bowel of unanesthetized rats was followed, and the stomachs were weighted after killing the rats. RESULTS Subcutaneous medetomidine, 0.01-0.1 mg/kg, was found to delay small intestinal transit but not gastric emptying, with a maximal effect seen at 0.03 mg/kg. Atipamezole fully reversed the effect of 0.1 mg/kg of medetomidine with a dose of 2.5 mg/kg. Atipamezole alone did not affect small intestinal transit. Subcutaneous morphine, 6 mg/kg, delayed gastric emptying and small intestinal transit, whereas intraperitoneal morphine only delayed gastric emptying. Subcutaneous atipamezole, 0.06 mg/kg, was partially able to reverse the delayed intestinal transit but did not inhibit morphine-induced gastric retention. Subcutaneous atipamezole, 0.06 mg/kg, reversed laparotomy-induced ileus completely. CONCLUSIONS Atipamezole may provide a useful treatment for postlaparotomy ileus.