Quantitative Determination of Brain Water Content in Patients During and After Hepatic Encepalopathy

University of Aarhus45 enrolled

Overview

There is increasing evidence that the pathophysiology of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is tightly associated with low-grade cerebral edema. Uptake of ammonia in astrocytes leads to osmotic swelling caused by glutamine formation. Previous studies were performed in covert HE patients or used indirect methods. Methods: The investigators wish to describes quantitative measurement of localized water content using MRI water mapping in a cohort of patients with cirrhosis during an episode of overt HE type C and again after recovery. Furthermore patients with cirrhosis and no history of HE and healthy subjects will be investigated as controls.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Hepatic Encephalopathy

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 75 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with type C HE during and after HE, * Patients with stable cirrhosis and * Healthy subjects Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with pace-maker * Metal implants

Locations (1)

Aarhus University Hospital

Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Absolute brain water content measured by water mapping

Time frame: Patients are recruited during an episode of acute HE, the patients are rescanned within a time frame of 6 weeks. Patients with stable cirrhosis and healthy subjects are scanned only once.