Auditory event-related cerebral potentials (P300) in hepatic encephalopathy--topographic distribution and correlation with clinical and psychometric assessment.

Abstract

P300-EP is a sensitive measure to detect functional cognitive impairment in cirrhotic patients with subclinical HE and clinically apparent HE. Typical changes include latency prolongation and decreased central peak amplitude. Some 40% of patients with no clinical evidence of HE and normal psychometric tests show abnormal results during P300 testing, which is likely to reflect early impairment of cognitive function. Auditory evoked P300 potentials are more sensitive than psychometric testing alone.