Brain imaging and hepatic encephalopathy.
Novel imaging techniques allow the investigation of structural and functional neuropathology of hepatic encephalopathy in greater detail, but limited techniques are applicable to the clinic. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can rule out other diagnoses and, in MRI, give diagnostic features in widely available sequences. An internationally accepted diagnostic framework that includes an objective imaging test to replace or augment psychometry remains elusive. Quantitative MRI is likely to be the best candidate to become this test. The utility of MR and nuclear medical techniques to the clinic and results from recent research are described in this article.
Liver and Antiviral Center, Department of Medicine, St Mary's Hospital Campus, Imperial College London, 10th Floor QEQM Wing, South Wharf Street, London W2 1NY, UK. mark.mcphail@imperial.ac.uk
Mark J W
MJ
McPhail
Neeral R
NR
Patel
Simon D
SD
Taylor-Robinson
D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon