The additive value of sarcopenia, myosteatosis and hepatic encephalopathy in the predictivity of model for end-stage liver disease
Background: Since the use of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score for establishing the prognosis of cirrhotic patients has been introduced, questions have been raised whether complications of liver cirrhosis would provide additional information. Myosteatosis, sarcopenia and hepatic encephalopathy (HE) are frequent in cirrhosis and may affect prognosis. Aim of the study was analyzing if these factors are independently related to survival and may improve the accuracy of MELD. Methods: 249 cirrhotics that underwent abdominal CT-scan were enrolled.