ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The impact of sarcopenia in patients undergoing transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPSS) insertion for refractory ascites is unknown. METHODS: All adult patients who underwent TIPSS insertion for refractory ascites between 2010 and 2018 were included. Skeletal muscle index at L3 was used to determine sarcopenia status. RESULTS: One hundred seven patients were followed for 14.2 months. Sarcopenia was present in 57% of patients. No patient had history of pre-TIPSS hepatic encephalopathy (HE). De novo HE occurred in 30% of patients. On multivariate analysis, only platelet count and L3-SMI predicted de novo HE. On multivariate analysis, age and model for end-stage liver disease with sodium predicted mortality, whereas L3-SMI and sarcopenia did not. In patients with repeat imaging, L3-SMI improved significantly post-TIPSS compared with baseline. DISCUSSION: Sarcopenia should not be considered as a contraindication to TIPSS insertion in refractory ascites because it is not associated with de novo HE or increased mortality.
Subject(s)
Ascites/surgery , Liver Cirrhosis/complications , Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic , Sarcopenia/complications , Adult , Aged , Ascites/etiology , Case-Control Studies , Female , Hepatic Encephalopathy/epidemiology , Hepatic Encephalopathy/etiology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Multivariate Analysis , Muscle, Skeletal/diagnostic imaging , Paracentesis , Prognosis , Proportional Hazards Models , Psoas Muscles/diagnostic imaging , Recurrence , Retrospective Studies , Sarcopenia/diagnostic imaging , Survival RateABSTRACT
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is currently the most common chronic liver disease worldwide, affecting a quarter of the global adult population. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, the more active form of NAFLD with active hepatic necroinflammation and faster fibrosis progression, has become one of the leading indications for liver transplantation and an important cause of hepatocellular carcinoma in Western countries. Epidemiological studies suggest that NAFLD is almost equally prevalent in Asia as in the West, but severe liver complications appear to be less common. In this article, we review the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, risk factors and clinical outcomes of NAFLD in Asia. We highlight the issue of NAFLD in the nonobese population and discuss whether it is a unique phenomenon in Asia. Because of the rapidly changing epidemiology and natural history, future studies should continue to monitor the magnitude of NAFLD in Asia and define the best policy to control this new epidemic.
