Hepatic encephalopathy: Modern views on the treatment of abnormal portosystemic shunt / 临床肝胆病杂志

ABSTRACT

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a type of serious brain dysfunction caused by acute or chronic liver failure or portosystemic shunt, with the clinical manifestation of neuropsychiatric abnormalities. The incidence rate of HE is 16%-21% in patients with liver cirrhosis. Spontaneous portosystemic shunt (SPSS) is one of the major pathogenesis of HE and is observed in 60%-70% of the patients with liver cirrhosis, and the size, number, and location of SPSS are directly associated with the development of HE. The development and wide application of imaging technology help to achieve a more convenient and accurate diagnosis of SPSS. Although interventional vascular embolization of SPSS has achieved a satisfactory clinical outcome in some cirrhotic patients with HE, high-quality clinical studies are still needed.