Evaluation of the Impact of Sarcopenia in Patients with Acute Mesenteric Ischemia

Abstract

Sarcopenia has been identified as a prognostic factor in several diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of sarcopenia in patients with acute mesenteric ischemia. Consecutive patients admitted for acute mesenteric ischemia were retrospectively included at the University Hospital of Nice. Sarcopenia was assessed by the measurement of total psoas area normalized for height (TPA/H) on CT-scan and was defined as a TPA/H inferior to the lowest sex-specific quartile. The management of the patients and the 30-day outcomes were compared between sarcopenic and nonsarcopenic patients. Correlations between the TPA/H and biological characteristics were investigated. Among the 80 patients included, the lowest quartile of TPA/H that defined sarcopenia was 406.1mm2/m2 for men and 307mm2/m2 for women. The rate of revascularization or the need of intestinal resection did not significantly differ between sarcopenic and nonsarcopenic patients (10.5% vs. 26.2%, P=0.214 and 26.3% vs. 47.5%, P=0.118 respectively). The 30-day mortality did not significantly differ between the two groups (63.2% vs. 47.5%, P=0.297). The TPA/H was significantly negatively correlated with the neutrophil, thrombocyte, and monocyte counts (r=-0.283; -0.288, -0.225, P<0.05) and positively correlated with the hemoglobin concentration and the glomerular filtration rate (r=0.368; 0.261, P<0.05). Further studies on longer follow-up period would be of interest to fully understand the prognostic value of sarcopenia in patients with acute mesenteric ischemia.