Change of skeletal muscle mass in cirrhotic patients with hypersplenism after partial splenic artery embolization

•Sarcopenia was observed in 60.00% of cirrhotic patients with hypersplenism, 68.25% of male, 31.75% of female;•In patients with sarcopenia, an improvement in skeletal muscle and fat mass was observed after PSAE;•PSAE led to a decrease of skeletal muscle in cirrhotic patients without sarcopenia;•In patients with sarcopenia, spleen infarction rate and SMI were independent predictors for an improvement in SMI. Partial splenic artery embolization (PSAE) is an effective procedure for cirrhotic patients with hypersplenism. The aim of our study is to evaluate the effect of PSAE on skeletal muscle, and to identify the predictor for an improvement in skeletal muscle index (SMI) in cirrhotic patients with hypersplenism after PSAE. 466 cirrhotic patients with hypersplenism underwent PASE between Dec 2013 and Mar 2022. Medical records and CT images of enrolled patients were analyzed. 105 cirrhotic patients with hypersplenism were enrolled. Sarcopenia was observed in 60.00 % (63/105) of these patients, 68.25 % (43/63) of male patients, and 31.75 % (20/63) of female patients. In cirrhotic patients, no significant change in the mean SMI at the third lumbar vertebra (L3) level after PSAE. In patients with sarcopenia, the L3 SMI increased from 36.77 cm2/m2 (baseline) to 43.38 cm2/m2 (P