Introduction: Ultrasound can be used to monitor muscle mass during interventional approaches in patients with liver cirrhosis. The aim: To investigate the effect of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation and/or muscle exercise on ultrasound-measured quadriceps muscle thickness and echo intensity, as well as on muscle strength, performance, and nutritional assessment in patients with cirrhosis. Patients \& Methods: This is a randomized controlled study that included 220 liver cirrhosis patients with Child-Pugh B \& C classes. They were randomized into a control group comprising 55 patients who received only the standard care, and interventional groups comprising 165 patients equally distributed into three groups, they received in addition to standard care, BCAA, programmed exercise, or BCAA and programmed exercise respectively. At baseline and after 28 days, all participants were subjected to ultrasound-measured quadriceps muscle thickness and echo intensity, in addition to handgrip strength, short physical performance battery (SPPB), anthropometric measures, hematological and biochemical assessment, MELD score measurement, nutritional assessment using 7- subjective global assessment score (SGA).
Age range
18 Years
Sex
ALL
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a change from baseline of muscle quantity
Timeframe: 28 days
a change from baseline of muscle strength
Timeframe: 28 days
a change from baseline of muscle performance
Timeframe: 28 days
a change from baseline of muscle quality
Timeframe: 28 days