Impact of Skeletal Muscle Quality and Loss on the Outcome of Liver Transplantation

Impact of Skeletal Muscle Quality and Loss on the Outcome of Liver Transplantation

CT imaging-based skeletal muscle assessment has been found to predict the outcomes of many diseases. Previous evidence revealed that pre-transplant muscle quality and post-transplant muscle loss were associated with transplant outcomes. However, there is no prospective study supporting the aforementioned conclusions. This study aims to prospectively include liver transplant patients from multiple transplant centers, collecting their pre-transplant CT images as well as post-transplant CT images at specific time points. The objective is to further explore and clarify the correlation between skeletal muscle assessment and the prognosis of liver transplant patients. The goal is to provide guidance for peri-transplant health monitoring and disease intervention for liver transplant patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult patients undergoing deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) for the first time

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pediatric transplants
• Presence of portal vein tumor thrombus according to imageing before transplantation
• Presence of macrovascular invasion according to imageing before transplantation
• Re-transplants
• Multi-organ transplants
• Patients who died within 30 days after transplantation
• Patients diagnosed with skeletal muscle diseases (e.g. muscle atrophy)
• Patients with serious medical conditions such as heart failure, persistent infection, and renal insufficiency.