Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in patients with complex abdominal wall hernias

BACKGROUND: Chronic 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. METHODS: In 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. RESULTS: Prevalence 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. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity 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. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.