LACTULOSE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC HEPATOPORTAL ENCEPHALOPATHY

Current treatment of chronic hepatoportal encephalopathy with dietary protein restriction is not always sufficient, and long-term administration of antibiotics may lead to some undesirable side-effects. The present study of three patients with encephalopathy and surgical portacaval shunt demonstrates the favourable effect of a synthetic disaccharide (lactulose, Duphalac). This study also demonstrates clearly that there is a close interrelation between the EEG and the metabolism of the brain. Thus the EEG analysis can be used as a method for checking the effects of therapy in hepatic encephalopathy.