Cerebral oedema and increased intracranial pressure in chronic liver disease

Cerebral oedema is a cause of morbidity and mortality in fulminant hepatic failure but has not been well documented as a complication of chronic liver diseases. We report here the development of cerebral oedema and increased intracranial pressure in 12 patients with chronic liver disease. Between July 1, 1987, and Dec 31, 1993, we studied 12 patients aged 29–67 years with end-stage chronic liver disease. All the patients had cirrhosis, portal hypertension, hypoprothrombinaemia, hepatic encephalopathy, and decreased serum concentrations of albumin (