Choroid plexus cyst burden is associated with glymphatic dysfunction and cognitive impairment in hepatic encephalopathy

BACKGROUND: Choroid plexus cysts (CPCs) are often considered incidental imaging findings in adults, but their phenotype and clinical relevance in HE are unclear. Our study aims to evaluate CPCs and choroid plexus volume (CPV) in HE and examine their associations with glymphatic clearance estimated by diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) index, brain structure, and cognition. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 3T MRI was performed in 3 groups: HE, cirrhosis without hepatic encephalopathy (NHE), and healthy controls (HCs). We assessed CPC burden, CPV, the DTI-ALPS index, structural brain measures and cognitive performance. Group differences were tested with ANCOVA. RESULTS: CPCs were detected in 100% of participants with HE versus 60% in NHE and 26.7% in HCs. Normalized CPC mean diameter and CPV were higher in HE than in NHE and HCs (all p values