In animal studies as well as in a few cases in humans, the benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil has been shown to reverse hepatic encephalopathy. The authors treated 3 patients with acute hepatic encephalopathy stage III or IV complicating cirrhosis. Two patients had an immediate recovery, maintained with a continuous infusion of flumazenil. In the third patient the clinical status dit not improve but the hepatic encephalopathy coexisted with major abnormalities in blood gases and electrolytes abnormalities, which could participate to the neurologic failure.