Clinical ScienceSarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in patients with complex abdominal wall hernias

- Image-based measurement of hernia attributes and indices of core-muscle mass as well as clinical/laboratory profiles were analyzed in patients evaluated from complex ventral hernia repair.
- Prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenia corrected for obesity was 26% and 20% respectively.
- Sarcopenia was associated with age and increased hospital length of stay but not with a higher likelihood of surgical site occurrence.

BackgroundChronic muscle wasting, or sarcopenia, has been associated with poor-health outcomes after major surgical procedures. Here, we explore the utility of CT-generated determinations of sarcopenia as markers of risk in patients undergoing evaluation for complex ventral hernia repair.MethodsIn 148 successive patients being evaluated for complex ventral hernia repair, CT scans were analyzed retrospectively for attributes of the hernia and indices of core-muscle mass, correlating them with preoperative clinical/laboratory profiles and outcomes in 82 patients who had undergone surgery.ResultsPrevalence of sarcopenia, and sarcopenia corrected for obesity, was 26% and 20% respectively. Sarcopenia was associated with age, some laboratory indicators, and increased hospital length of stay but not with a higher likelihood of surgical site occurrence.ConclusionsObesity may obscure the value of sarcopenia as a marker of metabolic disturbance and postoperative outcome. Image-based measurements of core-muscle mass should be used with caution as predictors of risk in similar surgical populations.