Halothane hepatitis and the anaesthesiologist

There is no longer any doubt that liver dysfunction following surgery and anaesthesia may sometimes be attributable to the inhalational anaesthetic agent halothane. Much controversy still surrounds the entity of halothane hepatitis, which continues to vex the practising anaesthesiologist. The incidence, causation, pathogenesis and diagnosis of halothane hepatitis are presented, and the safety and practicality of halothane administration in the presence of liver dysfunction are discussed.