[Impact of psoas muscle index on early postoperative mortality and complications after liver transplantation].

Objective

To investigate the relationship between psoas muscle index (PMI) and early postoperative survival rate and the incidence of complications after liver transplantation in adults.

Methods

The clinical data of 225 patients (male, n=184; female, n=41) underwent liver transplantation at the Organ Transplantation Department of First Central Clinic Institute of Tianjin Medical University from January 2014 to December 2016 were analyzed, retrospectively.Original disease: hepatitis B liver cirrhosis(44 cases), hepatitis C cirrhosis(10 cases), autoimmune liver cirrhosis(29 cases), other benign liver diseases(24 cases), liver cirrhosis with liver cancer(116 cases), hilar cholangiocarcinoma(1 case) and hepatic vascular sarcoma(1 case). The area of bilateral psoas muscle on the lower edge level of the third lumbar vertebral body was measured through preoperative CT image.The PMI was calculated using this formula: bilateral psoas muscle area (mm(2))/the square of the body height (m(2)). According to the receiver operating characteristic curve and cut-off values, the male and female patients were divided into low PMI group and high PMI group respectively.The χ(2) test, Fisher exact test and t-test was used to compare the differences in perioperative data, survival rate and postoperative complications between the two groups, respectively.

Results

There were 44 patients in the low PMI group, and 181 patients in the high PMI group. ICU time was longer (82.5(62.0-128.0) hours vs.69.1(56.0-104.0) hours; P=0.006) and preoperative blood urea nitrogen level (5.86(4.35-15.52) mmol/L vs. 4.94(4.05-7.06) mmol/L; P=0.012) was higher in the low PMI group than those in the high PMI group. Incidence rates of grade 5 complication (18.2%) and grade 4a complication (18.2%) were higher in the low PMI group, and 120-day cumulative survival rate was lower than that in high PMI group(81.8% vs. 95.6%, P=0.001). On the other hand, there were no significant differences in preoperative white blood cell count level, serum creatinine level, operative time, anhepatic period time, intraoperative blood loss, and incidence of postoperative grade 3 complications between the two groups(all P>0.05).

Conclusions

There is a significant correlation between PMI and early postoperative survival rate and incidence of complications.Patients with lower PMI has poor prognosis after liver transplantation.