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Transplantation

Long-term changes in brain volume and cognitive function after liver transplantation

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 7, page 239 (2010)Cite this article

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Liver transplantation has a beneficial effect on cognitive function in patients with cirrhosis, according to the results of a recent study investigating the long-term effects of liver transplantation on brain volume and neurologic function.

It is well established that liver transplantation improves survival and quality of life in patients with end-stage liver disease. Previous studies have demonstrated that low-grade brain edema and other abnormalities linked with hepatic encephalopathy normalize after liver transplantation, with an associated improvement in cognitive function in the short term. “However, persistent cognitive deficits have been documented in patients with cirrhosis after liver transplantation,” notes Juan Cordoba, one of the authors of the study. “On the other hand, some degree of brain atrophy has been reported in neuroradiological studies in patients with cirrhosis—even in those without a history of alcohol abuse.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Garcia Martinez, R. et al. A long-term study of changes in the volume of brain ventricles and white matter lesions after successful liver transplantation. Transplantation 89, 589–594 (2010)

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  1. Isobel Franks
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Franks, I. Long-term changes in brain volume and cognitive function after liver transplantation. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 7, 239 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2010.56

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2010.56

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