Background/objectives: The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) has been utilized for the diagnosis of hepatic encephalopathy (HE). However, its threshold of abnormality has not been formally tested in patients with cirrhosis and its diagnostic/prognostic validity remains unknown. The aim of this study was to assess it in a large group of well-characterized outpatients with cirrhosis and no overt HE.
Methods: One-hundred-and-ninety-one patients underwent clinical assessment, MMSE, electroencephalography (EEG) and paper-and-pencil psychometry (PHES); 117 were followed up for 8 ± 5 months in relation to the occurrence of HE-related hospitalizations.
Results: On the day of study, 81 patients (42%) had abnormal EEG and 67 (35%) abnormal PHES; 103 (60%) had a history of HE. Average MMSE was 26.6 ± 3.5; 22 (19%) patients had abnormal MMSE based on the standard threshold of 24. Patients with abnormal EEG/PHES/history of HE had worse MMSE performance than their counterparts with normal tests/negative history (25.7 ± 4.2 vs. 27.3 ± 2.7; P < 0.01; 25.5 ± 3.2 vs. 27.9 ± 1.8, P < 0.0001; 26.3 ± 3.7 vs. 27.4 ± 2.6, P < 0.05, respectively). Based on the above results, MMSE thresholds of 26 and 27 were tested against abnormalities in clinical/EEG/PHES indices and significant associations were observed. An MMSE threshold of 26 was also a predictor of HE-related hospitalization (Cox-Mantel: P = 0.001); patients with MMSE <26 were significantly older than those with MMSE ≥26 but comparable in terms of liver dysfunction and ammonia levels. When MMSE items were considered separately, those which correlated most significantly with standard HE indices where spatial orientation and writing.
Conclusion: In conclusion, an MMSE <26 identifies older patients with cirrhosis who are more prone to manifest HE signs.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jceh.2013.12.005 | DOI Listing |
Hepatology
January 2025
AP-HP, Sorbonne Université, Liver Intensive Care Unit, Hepatogastroenterology Department, La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, 47-83 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France.
Background And Aims: In cirrhosis, some patients display acute encephalopathy without hyperammonemia (NonHep E) which is not considered as overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE). We aimed to assess the prevalence and characteristics of NonHep E and OHE in cirrhotic patients displaying acute encephalopathy, assess their respective prognosis and compare it to other causes of acute decompensation (AD) with/without hyperammonemia.
Approach And Results: We conducted a retrolective analysis from a prospective cohort of patients hospitalized for AD.
Gastro Hep Adv
September 2024
Blacktown Clinical School, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
World J Gastroenterol
January 2025
Department of Radiology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510151, Guangdong Province, China.
Background: Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is an effective intervention for managing complications of portal hypertension, particularly acute variceal bleeding (AVB). While effective in reducing portal pressure and preventing rebleeding, TIPS is associated with a considerable risk of overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE), a complication that significantly elevates mortality rates.
Aim: To develop a machine learning (ML) model to predict OHE occurrence post-TIPS in patients with AVB using a 5-year dataset.
Surg Radiol Anat
January 2025
Department of Radiology, International University of Health and Welfare Narita Hospital, 852 Hatakeda, Narita, 286-8520, Chiba, Japan.
Purpose: We present the case of a rare extrahepatic portocaval shunt that resulted in communication of the portal vein and the inferior vena cava (IVC) at the level between two right renal veins that was incidentally diagnosed with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) in an asymptomatic patient.
Methods: A woman in her sixties with abdominal pain and diarrhea of unclear origin underwent exploratory abdominal CECT.
Results: The CECT incidentally revealed an extrahepatic portocaval shunt, whereby a vessel arising from the portal vein superior to the confluence of the superior mesenteric and splenic veins drained into the posterior aspect of the IVC between two right renal veins.
World J Gastrointest Surg
January 2025
Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy Unit, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, University of Milan, Milan 20142, Lombardy, Italy.
Trans-jugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunting (TIPSS) has been in use for many years with great results and many evolutions. The procedure essentially involves the insertion of a metal covert stent to create an Hepato-Hepatic portosystemic shunt. Over time, TIPSS has become the subject of many studies aimed at examining its clinical utility and evaluating the results of using TIPSS to manage complications related to portal hypertension.
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