Impaired brain function improved by l-carnitine in patients with cirrhosis: evaluation using near-infrared spectroscopy

To evaluate the effects of l -carnitine on impaired brain function in patients with liver cirrhosis. We conducted a retrospective cohort study that included sequential 80 liver cirrhosis patients with impaired brain function evaluated using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Among them, l -carnitine was administered to 48 patients. The NIRS data and blood ammonia level at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment were compared between patients administered with l -carnitine ( l -carnitine group) and those who were not (control group). The NIRS data at baseline were similar between the l -carnitine and control groups (0.04 ± 0.04 vs. 0.04 ± 0.05 mMmm, p = n.s), whereas those in the l -carnitine group (n = 48) were significantly better than that of the control group at 8 weeks of treatment (n = 32) (0.103 ± 0.081 vs. 0.040 ± 0.048 mMmm, p