Comparison of postoperative liver dysfunction following halothane and sevoflurane anesthesia in women undergoing mastectomy for cancer.

The incidence of an abnormal increase in the serum levels of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) following anesthesia with halothane and 65% nitrous oxide in oxygen (halothane group) or with sevoflurane and 65% nitrous oxide in oxygen (sevoflurane group) was compared in women undergoing surgery for breast cancer. An abnormal increase in GOT and GPT, both defined as higher than 50 IU, occurred postoperatively in 2 of the 150 patients (1.7%) in the sevoflurane group, and in 37 of the 200 (18.5%) in the halothane group (P<0.001). The elevated levels of serum transaminases after sevoflurane ranged from 50 to 65 IU whereas those after halothane ranged from 50 to 1000 IU, except for a value greater than 5000 IU in 1 patient. In the halothane group, there was a significant association between postoperative increases in serum transaminases and previous exposure to inhalation anesthetics, postoperative mitomycin therapy, and radiation therapy (all P<0.001). The results of multivariate analysis, when data from all patients were taken together, showed that the type of anesthetic (halothane) was the highest factor related to postoperative increases in GOT and GPT (odds ratio 35.85; 95% confidence interval 5.92-217.37), followed next by prior exposure to inhalation anesthetics (8.65; 2.96-25.27), postoperative radiation therapy (4.37; 1.70-11.19), and postoperative mitomycin therapy (3.56; 1.23-10.35). These data suggest that sevoflurane is less likely to cause anesthesia-related liver dysfunction than halothane.