The development of low-grade cerebral edema in cirrhosis is supported by the evolution of (1)H-magnetic resonance abnormalities after liver transplantation

Liver failure may cause brain edema through an increase in brain glutamine. However, usually standard neuroimaging techniques do not detect brain edema in cirrhosis. We assessed magnetization transfer ratio and (1)H-magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy before and after liver transplantation to inves...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of hepatology 2001-11, Vol.35 (5), p.598-604
Main Authors: Córdoba, J, Alonso, J, Rovira, A, Jacas, C, Sanpedro, F, Castells, L, Vargas, V, Margarit, C, Kulisewsky, J, Esteban, R, Guardia, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ammonia - metabolism
Brain - metabolism
Brain Edema - etiology
Brain Edema - metabolism
Female
Hepatic Encephalopathy - etiology
Humans
Liver Cirrhosis - surgery
Liver Transplantation - physiology
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Male
Middle Aged
Neurologic Examination
Reference Values
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Summary:Liver failure may cause brain edema through an increase in brain glutamine. However, usually standard neuroimaging techniques do not detect brain edema in cirrhosis. We assessed magnetization transfer ratio and (1)H-magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy before and after liver transplantation to investigate changes in brain water content in cirrhosis. Non-alcoholic cirrhotics without overt hepatic encephalopathy (n=24) underwent (1)H-MR of the brain and neuropsychological tests. (1)H-MR results were compared with those of healthy controls (n=10). In a subgroup of patients (n=11), the study was repeated after liver transplantation. Cirrhotic patients showed a decrease in magnetization transfer ratio (31.5+/-3.1 vs. 37.1+/-1.1, P
ISSN:0168-8278
DOI:10.1016/S0168-8278(01)00181-7