A controlled clinical trial of lactulose in hepatic encephalopathy.

In a double blind clinical trial, 11 patients with HE received 80 g of lactulose (1,4- β -galactosidofructose) daily while 10 patients received 60 g of glucose daily as a control. Encephalopathy and blood ammonia were evaluated during the study. Patients receiving lactulose showed statistically significant reduction in both encephalopathy and blood ammonia levels over the 10-day period as compared to the control patients. Controlled clinical trials comparing lactulose and Neomycin are needed.