Low Cerebral Oxygen Consumption and Blood Flow in Patients With Cirrhosis and an Acute Episode of Hepatic Encephalopathy

Abstract

Background & Aims: It is unclear whether patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) have disturbed brain oxygen metabolism and blood flow. Methods: We measured cerebral oxygen metabolism rate (CMRO2) by using 15O-oxygen positron emission tomography (PET); and cerebral blood flow (CBF) by using 15O-water PET in 6 patients with liver cirrhosis and an acute episode of overt HE, 6 cirrhotic patients without HE, and 7 healthy subjects. Results: Neither whole-brain CMRO2 nor CBF differed significantly between cirrhotic patients without HE and healthy subjects, but were both significantly reduced in cirrhotic patients with HE (P