[Post-anesthetic hepatitis. The role of halothane and antimitotic combinations]. / Hépatite postanesthésique. Responsabilité de l'association halothane-antimitotiques.

A 12 year old boy with Burkitt's lymphoma developed severe hepatitis with hepatomegaly, subclinical jaundice, and a small rise in body temperature, associated with an important rise in SGPT and fall in prothrombin titres, 6 days after anticancer chemotherapy and 24 hours after halothane anaesthesia. Hepatitis A and B serology remained negative. This hepatic failure explained perhaps the unusually severe vincristine toxicity which gave rise to a polyneuritis with important sequelae. The association of halothane hepatitis with antimitotic drugs appeared particularly dangerous, and halothane should probably be avoided in all patients been given or about to be given anticancer chemotherapy.