Fatal hepatic necrosis after halothane anesthesia in a boy with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis: a case report.

Hepatitis from halothane is usually diagnosed by excluding other possible causes. Whether preexisting hepatic damage, which can occur in certain autoimmune disorders, contraindicates the use of halothane has yet to be proven. The case of a 14-year-old boy with early-onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis who developed fatal hepatic necrosis 13 days after halothane anesthesia is presented.