Table 7.

Trials assessing the effect of VSL#3 in patients with hepatic encephalopathy

Ref.	Design	n	VSL#3 intake
Mittal et al[136], 2011	RCT	322 patients were screened for MHE; 160 patients were found to have MHE and included in the trial	3 mo with 1.1 × 1011 CFU twice a day
Lunia et al[137], 2014	RCT	160 with cirrhosis without OHE (including 86 in treatment group, 42 with MHE; 74 in control group, 33 with MHE)	3 mo with 1 capsule 3 times a day, the dose was not clear
Dhiman et al[138], 2014	RCT	130 with cirrhosis who had recovered from HE (including 66 with VSL#3, 64 with placebo)	6 mo with 9 × 1011 CFU a day
Pratap Mouli et al[135], 2015	RCT	227 with CLD were screened for MHE; 120 were diagnosed with MHE; 40 in the lactulose group and 33 in the VSL#3 group completed	2 mo with 4.5 × 1011 CFU a day

HE: Hepatic encephalopathy; RCT: Randomized controlled trial; MHE: Minimal hepatic encephalopathy; CFU: Colony-forming unit; OHE: Overt hepatic encephalopathy; CLD: Chronic liver diseases.