Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Polyethylene Glycol Electrolyte Solution Versus Lactulose for Treatment of Hepatic Encephalopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a complex neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with liver failure and/or portal systemic shunting. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) electrolyte solution is a commonly used for catharsis of gut, which has been demonstrated to relieve HE in a number of randomized controlled trials. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the comparative efficacy and safety of PEG with lactulose for current HE treatment.