The independent risk factors for abnormal head computed tomography in patients with hepatic encephalopathy

Abstract

It’s known that head computed tomography (CT) is used excessively to exclude intracranial hemorrhage in patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in the emergency department. However, the independent risk factors for abnormal head CT in patients with HE have not been studied extensively to date. In this retrospective study, patients with an ammonia level of >90 U/L who were clinically considered HE and had head CT were included. The characteristics of patients with abnormal head CT and independent risk factors for abnormal CT were investigated. Three hundred seventy-eight patients were included in the study. CT findings of 18 (4.8%) of the patients were abnormal: 12 had intracranial hemorrhage, 1 had an ischemic stroke, and 5 had an intracranial mass. Intracranial hemorrhage (odds ratio [OR] 12.5), history of recent trauma (OR 23.4), history of active malignancy (OR 10.3), thrombocyte count <100.000/μL (OR 4.3), and international normalized ratio ≥1.5 (OR 3.2) were found to be independent risk factors for abnormal head CT. Head CT scan may be considered in patients with HE if any of the following are present: intracranial bleeding history, recent trauma history, active malignancy, platelet count <100,000/μL, and international normalized ratio >1.5.