Impact of Sarcopenia on Outcomes Following Endovascular Treatment of Patients with Pelvic Venous Insufficiency.

PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of sarcopenia on the outcomes of endovascular treatment in patients with pelvic venous insufficiency (PVI).

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 62 female patients who underwent endovascular treatment for PVI between January 2012 and July 2020. The patients were evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for chronic pelvic pain, both before treatment and three months post-treatment. A successful treatment outcome was defined as a reduction in pelvic pain by 50% or more. Sarcopenia was diagnosed based on the skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) of the patients.

RESULTS

Sarcopenia was present in 20 (32.3%) patients. There was no significant difference in preprocedural VAS scores between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients (36.2 ± 16.9 vs. 34.9 ± 16.1, p = 0.781). However, non-sarcopenic patients achieved a significantly greater reduction in VAS scores post-treatment (67.6 ± 22.4% vs. 53.1 ± 24.4%, p = 0.025). A moderate negative correlation was observed between sarcopenia and successful treatment outcomes (r = -0.365, p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

Sarcopenia negatively impacts the effectiveness of endovascular treatment in patients with PVI.