SUBCLINICAL HEPATIC-ENCEPHALOPATHY - PROTON MR SPECTROSCOPIC ABNORMALITIES

PURPOSE: To determine whether hydrogen-1 magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a double-blind study, overt hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and SCHE (defined with clinical and neuropsychiatric tests) were compared by means of H-1 MR spectroscopic criteria-reduction in cerebral myo-inositol (<2 standard deviations [SDs] from normal) and choline (<2 SDs from normal) with or without increased cerebral glutamine (>1 SD from normal)-in 20 patients with cirrhosis. RESULTS: Concordance between MR spectroscopic and neuropsychiatric test results was 94% (kappa = 0.84). MR spectroscopy allowed diagnosis of SCHE in nine of nine patients (100%) and of HE in seven of eight (88%). Myo-inositol depletion alone had 80%-85% sensitivity for detection of HE and SCHE. CONCLUSION: H-1 MR spectroscopy allows accurate diagnosis of SCHE, and the results suggest an important role for myo-inositol in psychomotor and visuopractic functions.