Sarcopenia in Patients Undergoing Open Ventral Hernia Repair

Radiologic indicators of sarcopenia have been associated with adverse operative outcomes in some surgical populations. This study assesses the association of radiologic indicators of frailty with outcomes after open ventral hernia repair (OVHR). A prospective, institutional, hernia-specific database was queried for patients undergoing OVHR from 2007 to 2018 with preoperative CT. Psoas muscle cross-sectional area at L3 was measured and adjusted for height (skeletal muscle index (SMI)). L3 vertebral body density (L3 VBD) was measured. Demographics and outcomes were evaluated as related to SMI and L3 VBD. Of 1178 patients, 9.7 per cent of females and 15.8 per cent of males had sarcopenia and 11.6 per cent of females and 9.2 per cent of males had osteopenia. Neither sarcopenia nor osteopenia were associated with outcomes of wound infection, readmission, reoperation, hernia recurrence, or major complications. When examined as continuous variables or by quartile, SMI and L3 VBD were not associated with adverse outcomes, including in subsets of male or female patients, the elderly, contaminated cases, and the obese. Radiologic markers of sarcopenia and osteopenia are not associated with adverse outcomes after OVHR. Further study should examine age or other potential predictors of outcomes in this patient population, such as independent status.