Do psoas muscle area and volume correlate with postoperative complications in patients undergoing rectal cancer resection?

BACKGROUND

Increasingly, patients with multiple co-morbidities undergo surgery for rectal cancer. We aimed to evaluate if decreased psoas muscle area and volume, as measures for sarcopenia, were associated with postoperative morbidity.

METHODS

Retrospective review of patients undergoing rectal cancer resection at a tertiary medical center (2007-2015). Variables included demographics, co-morbidities, preoperative psoas muscle area and volume, and postoperative complications.

RESULTS

Among 180 patients (58% male, mean age 62.7 years), 44% experienced complications (n = 79), of which 38% (n = 30) were major complications. Malnourished patients had smaller height-adjusted total psoas area than non-malnourished patients (6.4 vs. 9.5 cm/m, p = 0.004). Among patients with imaging obtained within 90 days of surgery, major morbidity was associated with smaller total psoas area (6.7 vs. 10.5 cm/m, p = 0.04) and total psoas volume (26.7 vs. 42.2 cm/m, p = 0.04) compared to those with minor complications.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative cross-sectional imaging may help surgeons anticipate postoperative complications following rectal cancer surgery.