Treatment of porto-systemic encephalopathy with lactitol verus lactulose: a randomized controlled study. Lactitol versus lactulose in the treatment of acute portal systemic encephalopathy (PSE). A controlled trial. Acidifying enemas (lactitol and lactose) vs. nonacidifying enemas (tap water) to treat acute portal-systemic encephalopathy: a double-blind, randomized clinical trial. Lactitol versus lactulose in the treatment of chronic hepatic encephalopathy. A double-blind, randomised, cross-over study. Lactitol vs. lactulose in the treatment of chronic recurrent portal-systemic encephalopathy. Lactitol, a second-generation disaccharide for treatment of chronic portal-systemic encephalopathy. A double-blind, crossover, randomized clinical trial. Double-blind, double-dummy comparison between treatment with rifaximin and lactulose in patients with medium to severe degree hepatic encephalopathy. Lactose enemas plus placebo tablets vs. neomycin tablets plus starch enemas in acute portal systemic encephalopathy. A double-blind randomized controlled study. A controlled clinical trial of lactulose in hepatic encephalopathy. Comparison of results of long-term treatment of chronic hepatic encephalopathy with lactulose and sorbitol. Lactulose in the treatment of chronic portal-systemic encephalopathy. A double-blind clinical trial. Efficacy of lactulose in cirrhotic patients with subclinical hepatic encephalopathy. [Double blind study of lactulose in 8 patients with chronic hepatic encephalopathy after portocaval shunt]. Comparison of rifaximin and lactitol in the treatment of acute hepatic encephalopathy: results of a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, controlled clinical trial. Comparison of lactulose and neomycin in the treatment of chronic portal-systemic encephalopathy. A double blind controlled trial. Lactitol vs. lactulose in the treatment of acute hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients: a double-blind, randomized trial. Clinical efficacy of lactulose in cirrhotic patients with and without subclinical hepatic encephalopathy. Lactitol and lactulose for the treatment of subclinical hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients. A randomised, cross-over study. Lactitol in prevention of recurrent episodes of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients with portal-systemic shunt. Comparison between neomycin and lactulose in 173 patients with hepatic encephalopathy: a randomized clinical study. Neomycin-sorbitol and lactulose in the treatment of acute portal-systemic encephalopathy. A controlled, double-blind clinical trial. Cyclic treatment of chronic hepatic encephalopathy with rifaximin. Results of a double-blind clinical study. [A clinical comparative study of crystalline pure lactulose and powder pure lactitol in portasystemic encephalopathy of cirrhotic patients].
Lactitol (beta-galactosido-sorbitol), a novel disaccharide analogue of lactulose, has been suggested as an alternative to lactulose in the treatment of portosystemic encephalopathy (PSE) in Western country. In order to assess its therapeutic effect and adverse reaction in PSE in the Chinese, we conducted this study.
                Forty-one patients with PSE were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups to receive lactitol (n = 21) or lactulose (n = 20) for 5 days. The doses of both drugs were adjusted to keep daily bowel movement of 2 to 3 times. The PSE index (mental state, EEG, asterixis, number connection test [NCT], and ammonia) was evaluated in each patient before and after treatment. Daily doses of lactitol and lactulose, stool frequency, and side effect were recorded.
                The mean dose of lactitol used was 66.3 +/- 36.4 gm and that of lactulose was 56.9 +/- 32.1 ml of lactulose. The majority of patients (37/41) gained clear consciousness after 5 days' treatment. In the lactitol group, blood ammonia, EEG, NCT, asterixis, mental status and PSE index before treatment were 208 +/- 62 micrograms/ml, 2.9 +/- 0.8, 4.0 +/- 0.0, 2.7 +/- 1.5, 2.9 +/- 0.7 and 77.1 +/- 10.5, respectively. All parameters decreased significantly after 5 days' treatment (119 +/- 50 micrograms/ml, 1.1 +/- 1.0, 2.9 +/- 1.2, 1.7 +/- 1.1, 0.7 +/- 0.7, and 34.4 +/- 16.0, p < 0.05). The lactulose group had the similar results. However, the improvement of PSE index after therapy in the lactitol group was significantly higher than that in the lactulose group (42.7 +/- 19.3 vs 31.1 +/- 13.7, p < 0.05). In addition, more patients in the lactitol group than in the lactulose group (67% vs 20%, p = 0.003) favored the taste of their assigned drugs. No patient who received lactitol experienced any side effects; however, six patients treated with lactulose complained of meteorism and flatulence, and four complained of nausea.
                Both lactitol and lactulose are effective in the treatment of PSE, though the effect of lactitol seems slightly superior to that of lactulose in our study. Lactitol is more acceptable to our patients due to better palatability and less side effects. Lactitol is another good alternative in the treatment of PSE. Preliminary data suggest that lactitol (beta-galactoside-sorbitol), a new synthetic non-absorbable disaccharide, has beneficial effects on chronic portal systemic encephalopathy. To compare the efficacy of lactitol vs. lactulose in the treatment of acute portal systemic encephalopathy (PSE), 40 cirrhotic patients with an acute episode of PSE were randomly allocated to one of two groups: group A (20 patients) received lactulose (30 ml/6 h) and group B (20 patients) lactitol (12 g/6 h). These doses were adjusted daily to obtain two bowel movements per day. The duration of treatment was 5 days. Age, sex, hepatic and renal function, precipitating factors and level of PSE measured by clinical examination, EEG and number connection test were similar in the two groups. A complete clinical resolution of PSE occurred in 11 patients in each group. In 5 patients of the lactulose group and in 6 of the lactitol group there was a moderate improvement of PSE during the study. Finally, 4 patients in the lactulose group and 3 in the lactitol group did not respond to treatment. No side effects attributable to therapy were observed in either group. These results indicate that lactitol is as effective as lactulose in the management of patients with cirrhosis and acute PSE. A double-blind, controlled trial to study the efficacy of acidifying enemas of lactitol, a new galactoside-sorbitol disaccharide, and lactose vs. nonacidifying tap-water enemas was performed in 45 episodes of acute portal-systemic encephalopathy. At the time of randomization, all patients had encephalopathy of at least Grade 2+ severity, delay in the performance of number connection tests and hyperammonemia. A sequential analysis was performed which revealed after the inclusion of the first 20 patients, a significant failure of the nonacidifying enemas as compared to the lactitol enemas (p less than 0.004). The tap-water enema group was, therefore, suspended but the rest of the study continued after rerandomization for lactose and lactitol groups. A favorable response to treatment was obtained in 19 (86%) of the patients receiving lactitol enemas and in 14 (78%) of those receiving lactose enemas. A similar significant improvement in portal-systemic encephalopathy parameters and index was observed after both treatments. Both types of acidifying enemas induced a significant pH decrease in stool (p less than 0.05). These data suggest that acidifying agents like lactose and lactitol are effective and superior to tap-water enemas for the treatment of acute nitrogenous portal-systemic encephalopathy. Lactitol is a disaccharide analogue of lactulose which is available as a pure crystalline powder. The efficacy of lactitol in the treatment of chronic hepatic encephalopathy was assessed in 9 cirrhotic patients in a randomised, double-blind, cross-over comparison with lactulose. The sugars were dispensed in solutions, identical in taste and appearance and with similar physico-chemical properties, which contained either 66.7 g/100 ml of lactitol or 66.7 ml (44.5 g)/100 ml of lactulose syrup. Patients were treated for periods of 3 months with each sugar, during which time they were monitored frequently by use of a number of clinical, psychometric and laboratory variables. The sugar solutions were dispensed in an initial dose of 0.75 ml/kg which was adjusted, as necessary, in order to produce two semi-soft stools per day. An adequate catharsis was achieved with a mean (+/- 1 SD) equivalent daily dose of 31.9 +/- 11.2 g of lactitol or 32.9 +/- 16.7 ml (21.9 +/- 11.1 g) of lactulose syrup. Both sugars were equally as effective in the treatment of this condition, even though events likely to cause decompensation arose in 5 patients during treatment with lactitol but in only 1 during treatment with lactulose. Side effects appeared to be more frequent during treatment with lactulose, despite the fact that the parent sugar was diluted in the trial solution; thus 5 patients experienced excessive flatulence and 8 experienced diarrhoea on lactulose compared with only 2 and 4 on lactitol, respectively. In all cases the excessive flatulence occurred independently of sugar dosage whereas the development of diarrhoea was dose-related.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) To compare the efficacy and patient acceptability of lactitol vs. lactulose in chronic recurrent portal-systemic encephalopathy (PSE), 25 cirrhotic patients with a history of repeated episodes of hepatic encephalopathy who required chronic administration of lactulose were included in a controlled cross-over clinical trial in which patients received, at random, lactitol (at an initial dosage of 10 g/6 h) or lactulose (15 ml/6 h, 66% w/v, containing 10 g of lactulose) during a 3 month period and then crossed-over to the alternative treatment for the following 3 months. Doses were adjusted to obtain two bowel movements per day. During the study period the daily protein intake was 40-60 g. Clinical and analytical data (including ammonia levels) were obtained, an EEG and the number connection test were performed and the PSE index was determined before treatment and monthly until the end of the treatment. No significant differences were found between the effects of lactitol and lactulose on the neurological and biological parameters, suggesting that the two treatments could be considered as equally effective. Lactitol was significantly better tolerated than lactulose (P = 0.02), the taste of which was assessed as being too sweet and provoking nausea. In conclusion, lactitol is a good alternative to lactulose for patients with chronic recurrent PSE, especially in those who do not tolerate the excessive sweetness of lactulose. A double-blind crossover trial was performed to test the therapeutic usefulness and safety of lactitol, a beta-galactoside sorbitol, against lactose in 18 patients with chronic portal-systemic encephalopathy (PSE). The study included four periods: two for washout and two for lactitol and lactose administration. During washout periods, which lasted two weeks each, patients were stabilized with neomycin plus milk of magnesia. Lactitol and lactose were administered during four weeks each. Ten patients were randomly assigned to receive lactose (group A) and eight patients to receive lactitol (group B) first. PSE parameters, ie, mental state, number connection test performance, asterixis and blood ammonia levels were assessed fortnightly. Electroencephalographic tracings and stool pHs were evaluated at the end of each study period. After the first administration of lactose and lactitol, no statistically significant differences in PSE parameters were found. At the same stage, a significant stool acidification (P less than 0.05) was detected. It is concluded that lactitol seems to be safe and efficacious in treating patients with chronic PSE. Fifty-eight patients, 30 males and 28 females, aged between 42 and 60 years (mean age 57 years) suffering from cirrhosis of the liver with signs and symptoms of portosystemic encephalopathy were studied. The double-blind study was performed according to a double-dummy experimental design, comparing the antibiotic rifaximin, administered at a dose of 1200 mg/day, with lactulose, administered at a dose of 30 g/day, both for 15 days. At the end of the treatment with the two drugs, there was a significant improvement in the main symptoms of portosystemic encephalopathy (mental state, asterixis, 'A' cancellation test, Reitan test). The improvement, which was also confirmed by a reduction in the overall score attributed to the degree of portosystemic encephalopathy was undoubtedly correlated with the reduction in the levels of serum ammonia concentrations, recorded after only 3 days of treatment. Tolerability of the treatment with rifaximin was decidedly higher with respect to lactulose. The greater rapidity of action and the lack of side-effects with rifaximin recommend the use of this intestinal antibiotic in patients with medium to severe portosystemic encephalopathy. A randomized, double-blind comparison of lactose enemas plus placebo tablets vs. starch enemas plus neomycin tablets was performed on 18 patients with acute portal systemic encephalopathy. Ten patients received starch enemas (10%; 1000 ml t.i.d.) plus neomycin tablets and 8 patients received lactose enemas (20%; 1000 ml t.i.d.) plus placebo tablets. A significant mental state improvement was demonstrated in the group of patients treated with starch enemas-neomycin tablets (p less than 0.05) and in the group of patients treated with lactose enemas-placebo tablets (p less than 0.025). Both treatments significantly improved the frequency of asterixis, ammonia blood levels, and electroencephalograms. In addition, patients treated with lactose enemas showed significant improvement in number-connection test times (p less than 0.02), and their stools showed a more acid pH (p less than 0.05). No side effects were evident with either treatment. Lactose enemas are a safe and effective treatment for acute portal systemic encephalopathy. nan nan nan To investigate the role of lactulose in the treatment of cirrhotic patients with subclinical hepatic encephalopathy (SHE), 40 cirrhotic patients, 33 males and 7 females, were included in the study. The diagnosis of SHE was made by quantitative psychometric tests including the number connection test (NCT), figure connection test (FCT) parts A and B, and two performance subtests of Wechsler adult intelligence scale, ie, picture completion (PC) and block design (BD) tests. SHE was diagnosed in 26 (65%) of 40 patients. Of these 26 patients, 14 patients were randomized to treatment group (lactulose 30-60 ml/day for three months, SHE-L) and 12 patients to no treatment group (no lactulose, SHE-NL). Psychometric tests were repeated in all patients in both groups and in six patients with no SHE (group NSHE, N = 14) after three months. The mean scores and number of the abnormal psychometric tests at entry were significantly higher in patients in groups SHE-L and SHE-NL than in patients in group NSHE; however, there was no significant difference between SHE-L and SHE-NL. The mean number of the abnormal psychometric tests decreased in patients in group SHE-L after three months of treatment with lactulose (2.9 +/- 0.9 vs 0.8 +/- 1.2; P = 0.004); however, there was no change in patients in group SHE-NL after three months (3.7 +/- 1.5 vs 3.5 +/- 1.3; P = NS). While SHE improved in 8 of 10 patients in group SHE-L, none of the patients in group SHE-NL improved after three months of follow-up (P < 0.001). Two patients in group SHE-NL also developed overt encephalopathy during the study period. We conclude that lactulose treatment in cirrhotic patients with SHE is effective. nan The efficacy and safety of rifaximin in comparison with lactitol in the treatment of acute hepatic encephalopathy was assessed in a prospective randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, controlled trial.
                A total of 103 patients with grade I-III acute hepatic encephalopathy were randomized to receive rifaximin (50 patients, 1200 mg/day) or lactitol (53 patients, 60 g/day) for 5-10 days. Changes in the portal-systemic encephalopathy (PSE) index on entry and at the end of the study were used to evaluate the efficacy of the two therapies.
                Both groups were comparable before treatment with regard to demographic data and characteristics of the hepatic encephalopathy episode. The global efficacy of both therapies was similar: 81.6% in the rifaximin group and 80.4% in the lactitol group showed improvement or total regression of the episode. A significantly better evolution of the PSE index was observed in the rifaximin group, due to a greater effect of rifaximin in two components of the index: EEG abnormalities and ammonia levels. No serious adverse events related to either treatment were found during the study.
                Rifaximin may be considered a useful and safe alternative therapy to lactitol in the treatment of acute hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis. A randomized double blind clinical comparison of neomycin and lactulose was performed in 33 cirrhotic patients with chronic portal-systemic encephalopathy (PSE) at seven cooperating hospitals. In order to maintain double blindness, sorbitol syrup was used as a control solution along with neomycin and was compared with lactulose syrup and placebo tablets in a double drug protocol. Twenty-nine patients were studied in a crossover investigation in which each received both therapeutic regimens preceded and followed by control periods. Four additional patients received one or the other agent, but did not receive both. Serial, semiquantitative assessments were made in all patients of mental status, asterixis, and the trailmaking test (TMT) and electroencephalograms (EEG) and arterial ammonia levels. Both neomycin-sorbitol and lactulose were effective in the majority of patients (83 and 90%, respectively). Each of these parameters (mental state, asterixis, TMT, EEG, and NH3) was improved significantly by neomycin-sorbitol and lactulose. The post-treatment levels for each of these measures were similar in the neomycin and lactulose-treated groups. Mean stool pH was reduced by neomycinsorbitol to 6.1 and by lactulose to 5.5. This difference was highly significant statistically. Bowel activity was similar in the two groups. Both drugs were free of toxicity. These investigations demonstrate that both lactulose and neomycin-sorbitol are effective in the treatment of chronic portal-systemic encephalopathy. Lactitol (beta-galactosido-sorbitol) is a nonabsorbable disaccharide available as a powder which, in open comparison, is as effective as lactulose in the treatment of chronic hepatic encephalopathy, but is better tolerated. Twenty-five cirrhotic patients experiencing 28 episodes of acute hepatic encephalopathy were randomized blindly to treatment with either lactitol (n = 15) or lactulose (n = 13). The sugars were dispensed in solutions identical in appearance, taste and pH and of similar osmolarity, which contained either 66.7 gm per 100 ml lactitol or 66.7 ml (44.5 gm) per 100 ml lactulose syrup. The initial dose of 0.75 ml per kg was adjusted to produce two semisoft stools per day. Patients were assessed every 12 hr for 5 days. There were no significant differences in sex ratio, age, body weight, clinical status, duration and extent of coma, etiology of liver disease or of hepatic encephalopathy between the two groups of patients on entry to the trial. An adequate catharsis was obtained with an equivalent mean (+/- 1 S.D.) daily dose of 26 +/- 5 gm lactitol or 31 +/- 7 ml (21 +/- 5 gm) lactulose syrup. During the trial, significant improvements occurred in clinical status and psychometric performance and in the electroencephalogram mean cycle frequencies in the majority of patients in both groups. At the end of the trial, 67% of the patients in the lactitol group and 69% of the lactulose group were clinically normal. However, patients treated with lactitol responded significantly more quickly than patients treated with lactulose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Seventy-five cirrhotic patients with hyperammonemia in the past or at the time of the study were randomly divided into two groups (treated with lactulose or nontreated) in 14 hospitals in Japan. Thirty-six cirrhotic patients were diagnosed as having subclinical hepatic encephalopathy (SHE), and 39 were diagnosed as non-SHE. SHE was diagnosed when the results of all three of the quantitative psychometric tests used (number connection test, and symbol digit and block design tests of the Wechsler adult intelligence scale [revised]) were abnormal as compared with age-matched normal values. The mean number of abnormal psychometric test results and the prevalence of SHE were used for a quantitative evaluation of the efficacy of the lactulose treatment. Twenty-two of the SHE patients were treated with lactulose (45 mL/d) for 8 weeks, and the other 14 SHE patients did not receive lactulose. In the SHE patients administered lactulose, the results of the quantitative psychometric evaluation were significantly improved at 4 and 8 weeks after the beginning of the lactulose administration. The SHE had disappeared in 10 (50%) of the 20 treated patients at week 8, but it persisted in 11 (85%) of the untreated 13 patients. We concluded that lactulose treatment in cirrhotic patients with SHE is effective with respect to psychometric tests. Fourteen patients with cirrhosis and subclinical hepatic encephalopathy were randomised to treatment with lactitol or lactulose for a 2-month period during which they were monitored clinically, by electroencephalography and by manually administered and computer-based psychometric testing. Following a washout period of 4-6 weeks patients were crossed-over to treatment with the alternative sugar for a similar period of monitoring. None of the patients showed evidence of overt hepatic encephalopathy and only one showed slowing of the electroencephalogram mean cycle frequency at the onset of the trial. However, significant impairment was observed in the group as a whole in the performance of all three manually administered psychometric tests and in four of the ten computer-based test variables. No changes were observed in clinical status or in electroencephalogram mean cycle frequency during treatment with either lactitol or lactulose. However, psychometric performance improved consistently, and to the same degree, during treatment with both sugars. Patients required a mean of 26 g (range 8-36) of lactitol and 25 ml (10-60) of lactulose to achieve two semi-soft stools per day. The majority of patients complained of flatulence during treatment with both sugars but this tended to resolve with continued treatment. Diarrhoea developed in a small number of patients during both treatment periods but this was invariably dose-related. Patients were equally divided in their preference for the two sugars. Patients with subclinical hepatic encephalopathy benefit from treatment with lactitol and lactulose in terms of their psychometric performance. The feasibility and benefits of long-term treatment for this condition need to be elucidated. Recurrent episodes of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) frequently occur in surgically shunted cirrhotic patients. The prevention of these episodes is based mainly on the long-term use of lactulose. Recently, lactitol, a nonabsorbable disaccharide similar to lactulose, has been proposed as an alternative in the management of HE. It has the advantage of being better tolerated and producing a more predictable catharsis. The effects of the two agents were compared in a controlled randomized study lasting six months involving 31 cirrhotic patients with portal-systemic shunt, of whom 40% experienced HE. The PSE index (mental state, EEG, asterixis, Raitan test, and ammonia) was assessed in each patient on entry to the study and every three months during treatment. Episodes of HE, side effects, and the patients' comments on efficacy, tolerability, and palatability were recorded. The dose required to induce two bowel movements per day was 48 +/- 25 ml of lactulose syrup and 36 +/- 7 g of lactitol. During the study, the number of patients who had an episode of HE and the PSE index was similar in both groups. The patients judged lactitol better from the point of view of palatability. Meteorism and flatulence, experienced by patients treated with lactulose, was not reported by the lactitol group. We concluded that lactitol is as effective as lactulose in the long-term prevention of episodes of HE in cirrhotics with portal-systemic shunt and may be better tolerated. A randomized study was performed in order to compare the course of hepatic encephalopathy in patients treated with neomycin plus magnesium sulfate or with lactulose. Admission criteria were: morphological diagnosis of cirrhosis and absence of comorbidity, of contraindications to drugs, or of previous treatments which could influence the outcome. The treatment groups were similar in terms of clinical characteristics, fatalities, recovery rate from grade 1 encephalopathy, and disappearance rate of neuropsychiatric signs. Transitions from severe to grade 1 or 0 encephalopathy showed a 0.17 (NS) difference in favor of neomycin. Early therapy and evidence of precipitating factors showed a favorable prognostic significance. Ascites, hyperbilirubinemia, poor nutritional state, and hypoprothrombinemia showed bad prognostic significance. This is the first large-scale investigation on hepatic encephalopathy. It demonstrated a similar effectiveness of the two drugs in grade 1 encephalopathy and provides a basis for drug selection in the current management of the syndrome. In a double-blind, randomized study the efficacy of lactulose was compared with neomycin-sorbitol in 45 episodes of acute nitrogenous portal-systemic encephalopathy (PSE) induced by dietary protein, azotemia, or gastrointestinal hemorrhage. All patients had underlying cirrhosis, and at the time of randomization had encephalopathy of at least grade 2 severity and arterial ammonia concentrations greater than 150 microgram/100 ml. Two thirds of the patients in each group returned to normal mental status and more than 80% in each group showed at least one grade improvement in mental state. In addition, there was equivalent improvement in asterixis, in the performance of the Number Connection Test, in the electroencephalographic pattern, and in arterial ammonia concentration. The principal difference between the two groups was a greater reduction in stool pH after lactulose therapy than after neomycin-sorbitol therapy. One patient randomized to neomycin-sorbitol had to be withdrawn from the study because of persistent vomiting related to the administration of the medication. Otherwise there were no complications attributable to therapy in either group. These data suggest that neomycin-sorbitol and lactulose are equally effective in the treatment of acute nitrogenous portal-systemic encephalopathy. Chronic hepatic encephalopathy (HE) represents a frequent and serious complication of chronic liver disease. Aim of the study is to comparatively evaluate the effect of rifaximin, lactitol and their combination in treating chronic HE.
                Forty out-patients (29 males, 11 females, mean age: 59 years, range 40-70), with viral liver cirrhosis and chronic HE (1st-2nd degree) were studied. HE was assessed by considering: mental state, asterixis, number connection test (NCT), arterial blood ammonia levels. Patients were randomly assigned to the following treatments: rifaximin (plus sorbitol as placebo) (group R); lactitol (group L); rifaximin plus lactitol (group RL). All treatments were continued for 15 days for 3 cycles, intervalled by 15 days of washout.
                The 3 treatments reduced HE, but with different efficacy: patients of group R and RL significantly (p<0.05) documented a faster improvement in HE degree, a higher percentage of patients which normalized mental state and NCT, a faster improvement of asterixis and a longer persistence of normal ammonia levels than patients of group L.
                Rifaximin in combination with lactitol or sorbitol represents an effective and safe treatment of chronic HE. The efficacy and the tolerability of the new crystalline pure lactulose formulation (Laevolac Cristalli) vs lactitol is evaluated in 40 patients suffering from liver cirrhosis and treated for the associated encephalopathy (PSE). Both disaccharides proved to be effective in the maintenance therapy of PSE. With respect to the previous formulation of lactulose, the crystalline one has a significantly lower incidence of side-effects. Pure crystalline lactulose, showing a similar efficacy and rise of side-effects, proved to be better accepted by the subjects of this study.
This systematic review questions the beneficial effects of nonabsorbable disaccharides and highlights that there is insufficient high-quality evidence to support this treatment. We found that antibiotics appeared to be superior to nonabsorbable disaccharides in improving hepatic encephalopathy, but it is unclear whether this difference in treatment effect is clinically important to patients. Nonabsorbable disaccharides should not serve as comparator in randomised trials on hepatic encephalopathy.