The prognostic significance of subclinical hepatic encephalopathy.

Objective: Subclinical hepatic encephalopathy may have prognostic significance with regard to the development of clinical hepatic encephalopathy and survival.

Methods: We studied 116 consecutive patients with histologically proven cirrhosis of the liver for subclinical hepatic encephalopathy, using Number Connection Test A, Digit Symbol Test, and spectral analysis of the electroencephalogram.

Results: Twenty-five patients (22%) were diagnosed as having subclinical hepatic encephalopathy.