Frequency of minimal hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients with normal neurological examination

Aim: to determine the frequency of minimal hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis who have normal neurological examination presenting in tertiary care setting. materials: this cross-sectional study was carried out in the department of gastroenterology,medical unit iii,services hospital lahore,pakistan over a period of six months from 21-09-2011 to 20-03-2012. a total of 150 cases were included in this study. bispectral index of the patients was calculated by researcher herself by applying bispectral index monitor pad on the forehead and graded from 0 to 100. minimal hepatic encephalopathy was defined by impairment in bispectral index score (>84 and <100). results: regarding age distribution of patients,22 patients (14.7%) were 20-40 years old,98 patients (65.3%) were 41-60 years of age while 30 patients (20%) were between 61-70 years of age. mean age of the patients was observed 51.25±11.32. out of 150 patients,90 patients (60%) were male and remaining 60(40%) were female. minimal hepatic encephalopathy was noted in 91 patients (60.7%) conclusion: it is concluded that minimal hepatic encephalopathy (mhe) is highly prevalent among patients with cirrhosis.