Procedures
cirrhosis, fibrosis
LIVER FIBROSIS, CIRRHOSIS, FIBROSIS, SECONDARY, HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY, PERIPORTAL FIBROSIS
We treated and followed up patients for 18 months from enrolment. The intervention consisted of oral tablet rifaximin-α 550 mg twice daily or a matching placebo, in line with current dosing recommendations of rifaximin-α as secondary prophylaxis for recurrent hepatic encephalopathy.After 18 months of treatment, an end-of-study liver biopsy was done. Outcome assessment of the baseline and end-of-study biopsy samples was done by a single expert pathologist (SD) who was masked to treatment group and all clinical data. Quality requirements for liver biopsies were for them to be at least 10 mm long with at least six portal tracts or the presence of cirrhotic regenerative nodules. Liver fibrosis was assessed according to the Kleiner scoring system for fibrosis: F0, no fibrosis; F1, perisinusoidal or periportal fibrosis; F2, perisinusoidal and portal or periportal fibrosis; F3, bridging fibrosis; and F4, cirrhosis.