A Comprehensive Review of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis and Other Methods in the Assessment of Nutritional Status in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Table 1

Methods to assess nutritional status in cirrhotic patients with their advantages and disadvantages.

SGA	Anthropometry
(i) Quick application and low cost; (ii) Can be obtained in hospital rooms; (iii) Identifies patients under risk of malnutrition upon hospital arrival; (iv) Requires patient comprehension and collaboration; (v) Subjective method; (vi) Weight is the only objective measurement; (vii) Might underestimate malnutrition	(i) Low cost; (ii) Can be obtained in hospital rooms; (iii) Requires little collaboration; (iv) CAMA, MAMC, APMT less influenced by water retention/overweight; (v) MAMC was investigated to correlate with Child-Pugh score; (vi) Some indices (body weight, body mass index, AC, TSF) might be influenced by water retention/overweight
Handgrip strength	BIA
(i) Quick application and low cost; (ii) Can be obtained in hospital rooms; (iii) Indicates impaired muscle function; (iv) Is not influenced by water retention/overweight; (v) Cannot identify muscle wasting anatomically; (vi) Is suitable only in men, because skeletal muscle function correlates with muscle mass only in men; (vii) Requires patient comprehension and collaboration	(i) Quick application; (ii) Can be obtained in hospital rooms if portable; (iii) PA and BCM correlate with outcomes in cirrhotic patients; (iv) Controversial application in patients with fluid retention; (v) Can underestimate malnutrition
DEXA	CT scan
(i) Indicates muscle depletion accurately with high reproducibility; (ii) Detailed assessment of body composition (segmental results); (iii) AMMI reflects sarcopenia and is not influenced by fluid retention/overweight; (iv) High cost; (v) Exposure to ionizing radiation; (vi) Requires patient removal to the equipment room	(i) Indicates muscle depletion accurately with high reproducibility; (ii) Skeletal muscle index at the third lumbar vertebra correlates with the whole body muscle mass and might be used to diagnose sarcopenia; (iii) High cost; (iv) Exposure to ionizing radiation; (v) Requires patient removal to the equipment room