Research

Mixed

Radiologically determined sarcopenia significantly predicts increased post-operative morbidity and mortality following abdominal surgery.

If you are scheduled for abdominal surgery, ask if your pre-operative scans (CT/MRI) were used to assess your muscle mass. If sarcopenia is present, discuss a prehabilitation program focusing on resistance training and nutrition to potentially reduce your risk of complications and improve recovery.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
The presence of sarcopenia was associated with a significant increase in major post-operative complications (RR 1.61 95% CI 1.24–4.15 p = <0.00001) and 30-day mortality (RR 2.06 95% CI 1.02–4.17 p = 0.04).
Keaton Jones et al. · World Journal of Surgery · 2017

Why this rating

Meta-analysis of 24 observational studies with high quality scores, though heterogeneity and potential publication bias exist.

Source

Radiologically Determined Sarcopenia Predicts Morbidity and Mortality Following Abdominal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Keaton Jones et al. · World Journal of Surgery · 2017

DOI 10.1007/s00268-017-3999-2

Meta-analysis · 24 studiesCited 183×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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