Clinical usefulness of psoas muscle thickness for the diagnosis of sarcopenia in patients with liver cirrhosis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The most widely used method for diagnosing sarcopenia is the skeletal muscle index (SMI). Several studies have suggested that psoas muscle thickness per height (PMTH) is also effective for detecting sarcopenia and predicting prognosis in patients with cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the optimal cutoff values of PMTH for detecting sarcopenia in cirrhotic patients. METHODS: All cirrhotic patients who underwent abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan including L3 and umbilical levels for measuring SMI and transverse psoas muscle thickness, respectively, were included. Two definitions of sarcopenia were used: (1) sex-specific cutoffs of SMI (≤52.4 cm² /m² in men and ≤38.5 cm² /m² in women) for SMI-sarcopenia and (2) cutoff of PMTH ( < 16.8 mm/m) for PMTH-sarcopenia. RESULTS: Six hundred fifty-three patients were included. The average age was 53.6 ± 10.2 years, and 499 patients (76.4%) were men. PMTH correlated well with SMI in both men and women (P < 0.001). Two hundred forty-one (36.9%) patients met the criteria for SMI-sarcopenia. The best PMTH cutoff values for predicting SMI-sarcopenia were 17.3 mm/m in men and 10.4 mm/m in women, and these were defined as sex-specific cutoffs of PMTH (SsPMTH). The previously published cutoff of PMTH was defined as sex-nonspecific cutoff of PMTH (SnPMTH). Two hundred thirty (35.2%) patients were diagnosed with SsPMTH-sarcopenia, and 280 (44.4%) patients were diagnosed with SnPMTH-sarcopenia. On a multivariate Cox regression analysis, SsPMTH-sarcopenia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.944; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.144–3.304; P=0.014) was significantly associated with mortality, while SnPMTH-sarcopenia was not (HR, 1.446; 95% CI, 0.861–2.431; P=0.164). CONCLUSIONS: PMTH was well correlated with SMI in cirrhotic patients. SsPMTH-sarcopenia was an independent predictor of mortality in these patients and more accurately predicted mortality compared to SnPMTH-sarcopenia.

Safety of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in patients 80 years of age and older.

INTRODUCTION: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is used in the diagnosis and therapy of biliary tract diseases. The ERCP is an invasive procedure that does not increase complications in the elderly. Few studies have assessed the safety of ERCP in the elderly. Life expectancy is rising, which causes an increasing demand for ERCP in the elderly. AIM: To show that therapeutic ERCP is safe and we compared the level of complications among the elderly (> 80 years of age) and the level among a younger group (< 65 years of age). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was designed retrospectively. The details of all patients 80 years of age and older undergoing ERCP were analysed. One hundred and fifty patients were included in each of the groups: > 80 years of age, older group A; and < 65 years of age, younger group B. RESULTS: In group A, 4 cases (2.7%) of bleeding (all mild) was observed, and perforation was not observed. The ERCP-related mild pancreatitis was observed in 7 patients (4.6%). There were no cases of mortality during procedures of ERCP in group A. In group B 6 bleeding cases (4%) (all mild) were observed. Perforation was not observed in group B. ERCP-related mild pancreatitis occurred in 11 patients (7.3%). There were no cases of mortality during procedures of ERCP in group B. Our study showed that ERCP is a safe and effective procedure in elderly patients. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes of ERCP for diagnostic and therapeutic success, and complication rates, are similar to those in younger patients. The ERCP is effective and safe in the elderly.