Sarcopenia in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis Assessed by Skeletal Muscle Ultrasound and Its Relation to Serum Testosterone Level

El-Alfy, Amira K.; Badr, Basma A.; El-Din, Walid S.; Rashed, Raof M.; Abd Ellatif Afifi, Mohamed

doi:10.21608/ejhm.2022.259125

Sarcopenia in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis Assessed by Skeletal Muscle Ultrasound and Its Relation to Serum Testosterone Level

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

10.21608/ejhm.2022.259125

Abstract

Background: When it comes to quantifying muscle mass in cirrhotic patients, Computed Tomography (CT) is the gold standard; nevertheless, CT is not practical for muscle measurement due to its high cost, radiation exposure, and logistical issues. Ultrasound detection of quadriceps muscle thickness has been recently presented as a more convenient bedside method to assess sarcopenia. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the role of ultrasound in assessment of biceps and quadriceps muscles thickness and echogenicity index as diagnostic parameters in liver cirrhosis patients and to study the relationship between sarcopenia and testosterone levels in these patients.
Patients and methods: A total of 50 cirrhotic patients were enrolled in this study from June 2021 to June 2022 at the Internal Medicine Department of Benha University Hospital. Our study included patients having diagnostic evidence of advanced liver cirrhosis (clinical, laboratory, and/or ultrasonographic) and aged >18 years.
Results: Testosterone in men was found to have a favorable and statistically significant relationship with handgrip (r = 0.667, P <0.001). In contrast, it showed significant negative correlations with rectus femoris echo index (r = -0.459, P = 0.008) and F-SARC (r = -0.766, P <0.001). Non-significant correlations were reported between testosterone and biceps echo index (P = 0.523), biceps thickness (P = 0.340), and rectus femoris thickness (P = 0.185).
Conclusion: The thickness and echogenicity index of muscle is a reliable index for gauging muscle wasting in cirrhotic individuals. Sarcopenia can be evaluated with ultrasound, which might make it possible to track patients' nutritional condition over time.

Keywords