Clinical relevance of sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis

Figure 1 Computed tomography images used for the 3^rd lumbar skeletal muscle Index assessment of two patients with cirrhosis (A, B), and two patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (C, D). Comparison of two cirrhotic patients with identical body mass index (BMI 32 kg/m²), and two patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma and identical BMI (28 kg/m²). A: The patient at the left is sarcopenic with the 3^rd lumbar (L3) skeletal muscle index (L3 SMI) of 50 cm²/m²; B: Patient at the right is not sarcopenic with a L3 SMI of 71 cm²/m²; C: Patient at the left is sarcopenic with L3 SMI of 47 cm²/m²; D: Patient at the right is not sarcopenic with a L3 SMI of 59 cm²/m². Red color indicates skeletal muscles, green color indicates intermuscular adipose tissue, yellow color indicates visceral adipose tissue, and teal indicates subcutaneous adipose tissue.

Figure 2 Kaplan-Meier curve indicating the survival of patients with cirrhosis (A) and patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (B). A: Kaplan-Meier curve indicating the survival of cirrhotic patients with and without sarcopenia. The 6-m probability of survival was 71% and 90%, respectively (P = 0.005, Log-Rank test); B: Kaplan-Meier curve indicating the survival of patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma with and without sarcopenia. The 6-mo probability of survival was 67% and 90%, respectively (P = 0.003, Log-Rank test).