Sarcopenia as a Predictive Factor for Survival after Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Insertion (TIPS)

Sarcopenia as a Predictive Factor for Survival after Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt insertion (TIPS) Introduction: Prediction in medicine most often represents an estimate of the outcome of a particular disease and is one of the basic tools of a physician. In the field of hepatology, the prognosis of a patient with liver cirrhosis is extraordinarily important. As in other cases, it helps to make a better decision about the right patient management. In cases where liver transplantation is indicated, it helps to place the patient correctly on the waiting list according to the urgency of the disease. Assessing the survival of patients after the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) using the MELD score (Model for End stage Liver Disease) has given to hepatology the universal and most reliable tool to assess the progression of chronic liver disease, not limited TIPS circumstances. The importance of sarcopenia for patients with liver cirrhosis has been widely discussed in the current decade. This work aims to evaluate the effect of sarcopenia on the survival of patients after TIPS. Methodology: This is a retrospective analysis of the survival of all patients with liver cirrhosis who underwent TIPS in one institution during the years 2006 - 2019. Sarcopenia was determined..