Patients With HE Show Diffuse Changes in Resting Brain Activity

Objective: To evaluate spatial patterns of the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in patients with varying degrees of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and to correlate these findings with clinical markers of HE. Design/Participants: Prospective study of 46 patients (34 male and 12 female; 15 with severe HE, 14 with minimal HE, and 17 healthy controls) who were recruited into the study between December 2007 and December 2009. Methods: Diagnosis and classification of overt and minimum HE was performed by 2 experienced clinical surgeons. Minimal HE was diagnosed if a patient with cirrhosis did not show clinically overt symptoms. Overt HE was graded according to the West Haven criteria. Laboratory parameters, including prothrombin time, protein metabolism test results, and venous blood ammonia levels, were obtained from all patients. The severity of liver disease was determined according to the Child-Pugh score. The ALFF, an index reflecting the amplitudes of spontaneous brain acti more...