Sensitisation to halothane-altered liver components in severe hepatic necrosis after halothane anaesthesia

In-vitro sensitisation (inhibiton or stimulation of leucocyte migration) in response to a liver homogenate obtained from rabbits pretreated with halothane was found in eight of twelve patients with halothane-associated hepatitis. Sensitisation was not observed when the homogenates were obtained from animals pretreated with ether. Furthermore, leucocyte migration in response to "halothane homogenate" was normal in eleven patients who had shown no abnormality in liver function after halothane anaesthesia and in thirty patients with other liver diseases. These studies provide direct evidence that sensitisation to halothane-altered liver-cell components is present in those occasional patients in whom severe liver damage develops after halothane anaesthesia.