Table 1.

Child-Pugh criteria for assessment of impaired liver function

	Points scored for observed findings
	1	2	3
Encephalopathy grade*	0	1 or 2	3 or 4†
Ascites‡	Absent	Slight	Moderate
Serum bilirubin (µmol l−1)	<34.2	34.2–51.3	>51.3
Serum albumin (g l−1)	>35	28–35	<28
Prothrombin time (s prolonged)	<4	4–6	>6

^*Grade 0: normal consciousness, personality, neurological examination, electroencephalogram. Grade 1: restless, sleep disturbed, irritable/agitated, tremor, impaired handwriting, 5 cps waves. Grade 2: lethargic, time-disoriented, inappropriate, asterixis, ataxia, slow triphasic waves. Grade 3: somnolent, stuporous, place-disoriented, hyperactive reflexes, rigidity, slower waves. Grade 4: unrousable coma, no personality/behaviour, decerebrate, slow 2–3 cps delta activity.

^†Patients with encephalopathy grade 3 and 4 were excluded from the study.

^‡Patients with advanced ascites were excluded from the study.