[Hepatic lesions induced by drugs. Report of 26 cases].

Two thousand six hundred and seventy one liver biopsies were reviewed from 1972 to 1985 at the Hospital A. Posadas. There were 26 patients with drug-induced liver injury; those who fulfilled the following criteria were included: contact with a drug known to produce hepatotoxicity; clinic, biologic and histologic picture corresponding to the drug studied, complete recovery after the drug was stopped and no other hepatic toxics. Fourteen patients showed estrogen-induced intrahepatic cholestasis, 5 had hepatitis-like lesions due to: alphamethyldopa (3), ketoconazole (1) and indomethacin (1). Carbon tetrachloride caused fatty degeneration in two patients and phenylbutazone a granulomatous hepatitis in one patient and cholestatic hepatitis in other. The last three cases were cholestatic lesions after the administration of chlorpromazine allopurinol and penicillin respectively. The evolution in 24 patients was excellent after the drug was withdrawn. Two patients died because of surgical complications since they were operated on with the wrong diagnosis of extrahepatic cholestasis.