PHES scores have limited impact on the risk of overt HE in patients with minimal HE.

Background: Minimal hepatic encephalopathy, defined by the portosystemic hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES), is associated with a higher risk of subsequent OHE. It remains unclear if there is a stepwise increase in OHE risk with worse PHES results.
Methods: In this multicenter study, patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy, as defined by abnormal PHES, were followed for OHE development.
Results: In all, 207 patients were included. There was no stepwise increase in OHE risk with worse PHES results.
Conclusions: Abnormal PHES is associated with a higher OHE risk, but we found no stepwise increase in OHE risk with worse PHES results below the established cutoff.
(Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.)