[Cerebral magnetic resonance spectroscopy in patients with hepatic encephalopathy: analysis before and after liver transplantation].

Objectives: To determine the metabolite levels (myo-inositol [MI], choline [Cho], glutamate [Glx], creatine [Cr] and N-acetylaspartate [NAA]) visible on magnetic resonance spectroscopy in patients with chronic hepatic failure, before and after liver transplantation and to correlate these data with results of neuropsychiatric tests and clinical findings.

Methods: Twenty five patients with chronic hepatic failure from the Liver Transplantation Unit of the Federal University of Parana were prospectively studied. Patients were submitted to clinical evaluation and magnetic resonance spectroscopy.