Sarcopenia in the prognosis of cirrhosis: Going beyond the MELD score

Table 3 Impact of pretransplant sarcopenia on outcomes after liver transplantation

Ref.	n	Unit of measure	Level of measure	Impact on the post-transplant survival	Impact on the post-transplant infection	Impact on the length of post-transplant hospitalization
Cruz et al[60]	234	SMI, cm2/m2	L3-4	SMI was significantly associated with survival post-transplantation (HR, 95%CI: 0.97, 0.94-0.99); P = 0.014)
DiMartini et al[40]	338	SMI, cm2/m2	L3-4	Muscle mass was a significant predictor of survival only in men (HR = 0.95, P = 0.01)		Muscle mass predicted ICU stay, total length of stay, and days of intubation
Durand et al[7]	562	TPMT/height, mm/m	umbilicus	MELD-psoas score was not an independent prognostic factor for post-transplant mortality in pre-MELD and MELD-era cohorts
Englesbe et al[41]	163	TPA, mm2	L4	The risk of post-transplantation mortality increased as psoas area decreased (HR = 3.7/1000 mm2 decrease in psoas area; P < 0.0001)
Krell et al[42]	207	TPA, mm2	L4		Pretransplant TPA (HR = 0.38, P < 0.01) was an independent risk factor for developing a serious posttransplant infection
Masuda et al[64]	204	Area of the psoas muscle, cm2	L3	Sarcopenia was an independent prognostic factor for posttransplant mortality (HR = 2.06, P = 0.047)	The rate of postoperative sepsis was higher in sarcopenic patients than in nonsarcopenic patients (17.7% vs 7.4%, P = 0.03)
Montano-Loza et al[45]	248	SMI, cm2/m2	L3	L3 SMI and the presence of sarcopenia were not associated with increased mortality after liver transplantation	Bacterial infections within the first 90 d after liver transplantation were more common in sarcopenic patients than in nonsarcopenic patients (26% vs 15%, P = 0.04)	Sarcopenic patients had longer hospital stays (40 ± 4 d vs 25 ± 3 d, P = 0.005) and longer ICU stays (12 ± 2 d vs 6 ± 1 d, P = 0.001) after liver transplantation than nonsarcopenic patients

ICU: Intensive care unit.