Narayanan, Praveena

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence and the widespread embrace of digital technologies have ushered in a new era of clinical research and practice in hepatology. Although its potential is far from realization, these significant strides have generated new opportunities to address existing gaps in the delivery of care for patients with liver disease. In this review, we discuss how artificial intelligence and opportunities for multimodal data integration can improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of alcohol-associated liver disease. An emphasis is made on how these approaches will also benefit the detection and management of alcohol use disorder. Our discussion encompasses challenges and limitations, concluding with a glimpse into the promising future of these advancements.

Summary Background Sarcopenia is associated with both increased wait‐list mortality and mortality following liver transplantation. Aims To determine the course of sarcopenia from transplant evaluation until 1 year post‐transplant, and its implications on hospitalisation and mortality following liver transplantation. Methods Two hundred and ninety‐three transplant recipients from 2002 to 2006 had pre‐transplant CT scans analysed at the third lumbar region for sarcopenia, myosteatosis and abdominal visceral fat content. Half the recipients had post‐transplant CT scan for interpretation (161/293). Results Sarcopenia was present in 146/293 (50%) of the patients pre‐transplant. There was a significant decrease in muscle mass (loss 2.0 ± 4.9 cm 2 /m 2 ; P < 0.001), and an increase in myosteatosis while awaiting liver transplantation. There was no significant change in abdominal visceral fat. For every 1 cm 2 /m 2 decrease in muscle mass there was an increase in post‐transplant length of stay by 0.36 days ( P = 0.005). Post‐transplant, 98/161 (61%) of patients with CT imaging had sarcopenia (25 de novo and 73 persistent), with continued increase in myosteatosis, lower Hounsfield units (−5.0 [IQR −8.6 to 0.1]; P < 0.001) and an increase in abdominal visceral fat (4.9 [IQR −4.4 to 15.6] cm 2 /m 2 ; P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in 1‐year mortality in patients with de novo sarcopenia compared to patients with sarcopenia both pre‐ and post‐transplant (HR 1.88; P = 0.088). Conclusions Sarcopenia progresses up to 1 year following liver transplantation and is associated with an increase in post‐transplant length of stay.

Sarcopenia and frailty are commonly encountered in patients with end‐stage liver disease and are associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including decompensation and wait‐list mortality. The impact of these entities in patients with differing disease etiologies has not been elucidated. We aim to ascertain the change in their prevalence over time on the wait list and determine their impact on hospitalization, delisting, and wait‐list survival, specifically for patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Adult patients who were evaluated for their first liver transplant from 2014 to 2016 with a primary diagnosis of NASH (n = 136) or ALD (n = 129) were included. Computed tomography scans were used to determine the presence of sarcopenia and myosteatosis. Frailty was diagnosed using the Rockwood frailty index. Patients with NASH had a significantly lower prevalence of sarcopenia (22% versus 47%; P < 0.001) but a significantly higher prevalence of frailty (49% versus 34%; P = 0.03) when compared with patients with ALD at the time of listing. In patients with NASH, sarcopenia was not associated with adverse events, but a higher frailty score was associated with an increased length of hospitalization (P = 0.05) and an increased risk of delisting (P = 0.02). In patients with ALD, univariate analysis showed the presence of sarcopenia was associated with an increased risk of delisting (P = 0.01). In conclusion, sarcopenia and frailty occur with differing prevalence with variable impact on outcomes in wait‐listed patients with NASH and ALD.