Ultrasound-based Morphometry for the Development of Diagnostic and Prognostic Markers in Current and Chronic Diseases

Frailty or debility is a geriatric syndrome that primarily affects older patients, but also patients with severe illnesses. It is particularly common among oncology patients, but also among patients with gastrointestinal diseases such as liver cirrhosis or pancreatitis. Sarcopenia, a component of frailty, is defined as a loss of muscle quantity, quality and function. Currently, complex methods such as CT or bioimpedance measurement are available. However, simpler techniques such as ultrasound-based measurement could be alternatives, but require further validation. The aim of this project is to be able to estimate the prognosis of patients at an early stage by measuring sarcopenia using sonography.