Importance of sarcopenia parameter changes after living donor liver transplantation

The systemic role of muscle tissue is strengthened by the large system of hormones, chemokines and other mediators that constitute a dense network of communication between the skeletal muscle and the liver (1,2). This, associated with the evidence of a progressive malnutrition and depletion of muscle mass in end-stage liver disease (ESLD) patients, has led many to study the role of sarcopenia and its systemic effects in this setting, and to identify it as critical risk factor for post- liver transplantation (LT) mortality (3-5). Englesbe and colleagues found a direct correlation between central sarcopenia, measured by computerized tomography (CT), the total area of the psoas muscle (psoas a…