A recent study published in the Annals of Hepatology investigated the feasibility of using the AMRA® MAsS Scan, powered by the FDA-cleared AMRA® Profiler 4 device, to assess muscle composition in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD). This research is timely, addressing the challenges of identifying and treating sarcopenia and frailty in the liver disease population.
The AMRA® MAsS Scan employs a rapid neck-to-knee MRI protocol and automated image analysis to provide detailed volumetric assessments of skeletal muscles and muscle fat infiltration. Researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Pittsburgh enrolled 18 liver transplant candidates with ESLD, assessing their muscle composition using the AMRA® MAsS Scan and examining correlations with established frailty and sarcopenia measures.
Professor Andres Duarte-Rojo, MD, Director of Liver Transplantation at Northwestern Medicine, noted that the MAsS Scan results were easy to interpret and correlated well with validated parameters of physical deconditioning and visceral fat. He emphasized that both the quantity and quality of skeletal muscle are important for understanding chronic liver disease, suggesting that adverse muscle composition could serve as a marker for muscle functionality and metabolic health—an idea that warrants further exploration in larger studies.
The MRI scans took an average of just under 15 minutes, with no adverse events reported, indicating that the AMRA® MAsS Scan can safely gather data even in patients with severely decompensated ESLD. Notably, 41% of participants exhibited an adverse muscle composition (AMC) phenotype, characterized by high muscle fat infiltration and low muscle volume. This group showed poorer functional performance on tests like the 6-minute walk test, highlighting the link between AMC and reduced function in ESLD patients.
This pilot study marks the first use of AMRA® Profiler 4 in ESLD patients. AMRA continues to advance MRI-based body composition biomarkers that may aid in diagnosis. Following the recent EU MDR certification and FDA 510(k) clearance, AMRA is collaborating with clinical partners in North America and Europe to further investigate the clinical utility of AMRA® MAsS Scan for ESLD patients.
About AMRA Medical
AMRA Medical is a health informatics and precision medicine company focused on pioneering body composition analysis. Their advanced technology provides comprehensive fat and muscle biomarkers from rapid whole-body MRI scans, enhancing clinical research and patient care. AMRA is dedicated to improving decision-making in both research and clinical settings through its innovative platform and support services.
