Identification and prognostic impact of malnutrition in a population screened for liver transplantation.

In our population the efficacy of a clinical screening tool for malnutrition was unsatisfactory. A detailed nutritional assessment is therefore recommended in all patients undergoing liver transplantation screening. Impaired muscle function might be clinically more relevant than muscle mass depletion, and muscle function testing should be considered an integral part of nutritional assessment in chronic liver disease.