Cerebral function in unoperated patients with non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis: A comparison with compensated non-alcoholic cirrhotics

Cerebral functions were studied in 22 unoperated patients with non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis (NCPF), 23 patients with compensated non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver and 45 healthy controls. In each patient electroencephalography (EEG) and psychometric tests were performed. Neither EEG nor any psychometric test was abnormal in patients with NCPF, whereas in patients with cirrhosis of the liver, EEG was abnormal in 9%, the number connection in 35%, five point star construction in 13% and reverse counting test in 39%. These results suggest that subclinical hepatic encephalopathy is not common in non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis seen in India.