title: Minimal hepatic encephalopathy diagnosis by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. A case report.
abstract: Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy (MHE) is a potentially reversible spectrum of neuro-psychiatric alterations in patients with acute or chronic liver disease, in the presence of a normal neurological examination. Studies demonstrated that early diagnosis and treatment of this complication increases the quality of life of the patients and leads to an overall better liver disease management. Currently, a practical method of diagnosing MHE is through psychological tests, with modest accuracy. A highly sensible and specific non-invasive method of diagnosis is Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) which identifies the key neuro-biochemical profile of hepatic encephalopathy. In selected cases of equivocal psychological test results, MRS is justified and adequate according to the authors' opinion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology I, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania; Email:cristianscheau@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scheau
authors.forename: Anca Ioana
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Bădărău
authors.forename: Andreea Elena
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Gherguş
authors.forename: Gelu Adrian
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Popa
authors.forename: Ioana Gabriela
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Lupescu
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers