Development of a New Index to Distinguish Hepatic Encephalopathy through Automated Quantification of Globus Pallidal Signal Intensity Using MRI

Hyperintensities within the bilateral globus pallidus on T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were present in some liver cirrhosis patients with hepatic encephalopathy. The symptoms of covert hepatic encephalopathy are similar to those of mild dementia. We aimed to develop a new diagnostic index in which to distinguish hepatic encephalopathy from dementia. The globus pallidus signal hyperintensity was quantified using three-dimensional images. In addition, the new index value distribution was evaluated in a cohort of dementia patients. Signal intensity of globus pallidus significantly increased in liver cirrhosis patients with hepatic encephalopathy compared to those without hepatic encephalopathy (p < 0.05), healthy subjects (p < 0.05) or dementia patients (p < 0.001). Only 12.5% of liver cirrhosis patients without hepatic encephalopathy and 2% of dementia patients exceeded the new index cut-off value of 0.994, which predicts hepatic encephalopathy. One dementia patient in our evaluation had a history of liver cancer treatment and was assumed to have concomitant hepatic encephalopathy. The automatic assessment of signal intensity in globus pallidus is useful for distinguishing liver cirrhosis patients with hepatic encephalopathy from healthy subjects and liver cirrhosis patients without hepatic encephalopathy. Our image analyses exclude possible cases of hepatic encephalopathy from patients with neurocognitive impairment, including dementia.