Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a potentially fatal pharmacogenetic disease triggered by several anaesthetic agents. The in vitro muscle contracture test (IVCT) is the standard test to establish an individual's risk of susceptibility to MH. Clinical practitioners and geneticists of the European MH Group have agreed on the present guidelines for the detection of MH susceptibility using molecular genetic techniques and/or IVCT to predict the risk of MH.