Halothane on irradiated liver tissue.

Abstract

The results of animal experiments show that distinction must be made between acute and chronic tissue changes produced by irradiation of the liver. The pathologico-morphological findings obtained by irradiation of the liver combined with repeated halothane administration during short-term experiments are scanty and dosage-dependent. Long-term observation has revealed higher-dosage irradiation to be followed by minor inflammation which, if combined with regular halothane administration, progresses to produce the patho-anatomical picture of chronic hepatitis with diffuse cell damage and focal necrosis even in those groups of animals which had been exposed to low-dosage irradiation. It must be assumed that even low-dosage irradiation of the liver which fails to produce measurable changes at the beginning, may influence the structure and function of the hepatic parenchyma. The latent radiation damage manifests itself under additional toxic irritation of the liver, such as that caused by halothane.