BACKGROUND: Frailty and sarcopenia are important concepts in surgical practice because of their association with adverse postoperative outcomes. Radiologically assessed psoas muscle mass has been proposed as a surrogate for sarcopenia and may be predictive of poor postoperative outcomes. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the association between sarcopenia, as assessed by psoas cross-sectional area, and postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery. DESIGN: This was a retrospective review of patient records from 2014 to 2016. SETTINGS: This study was conducted at a single tertiary center. PATIENTS: Patients undergoing elective resection of colorectal cancer were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sarcopenia was assessed using the total psoas index, calculated by measuring the cross-sectional area of the psoas muscle at the third lumbar vertebra and normalized for patient height. Preoperative and intraoperative variables, including the presence of preoperative sarcopenia, were evaluated as potential risk factors for adverse postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: Of 350 patients, 115 (32.9%) were identified as sarcopenic. Sarcopenia was associated with a significantly increased length of stay (13 days vs 7 days; OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.23–1.42; p < 0.01) and 1-year mortality (13.9% vs 0.9%; OR, 16.2; 95% CI, 4.34–83.4; p < 0.01). Sarcopenia was also associated with a significant increased risk of any complication (85.2% vs 34.5%; OR, 15.4; 95% CI, 8.39–29.7; p < 0.01) and of major complications (30.4% vs 8.9%; OR, 15.1; 95% CI, 7.16–33.2; p < 0.01). LIMITATIONS: This study was limited by its retrospective design and by being conducted in a single institution. Although reduced muscle mass is suggestive of sarcopenia, it does not assess a patient’s physical function or other components of the frailty phenotype. CONCLUSION: Radiological sarcopenia is an important predictive risk factor for adverse postoperative outcomes in surgical patients. Computed tomography scans, which are routinely performed as part of staging, provide an opportunity to assess for sarcopenia preoperatively. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B201. LA SARCOPENIA, EVALUADA POR EL ÁREA TRANSVERSAL DE PSOAS, PREDICE RESULTADOS POSTOPERATORIOS ADVERSOS EN PACIENTES SOMETIDOS A CIRUGÍA DE CÁNCER COLORECTAL ANTECEDENTES: La fragilidad y la sarcopenia son conceptos importantes en la práctica quirúrgica debido a su asociación con los resultados postoperatorios adversos. La masa muscular del psoas evaluada radiológicamente se ha propuesto como un sustituto de la sarcopenia y puede predecir resultados postoperatorios deficientes. OBJETIVO: Determinar la asociación entre la sarcopenia, según lo evaluado por el área transversal del psoas, y los resultados postoperatorios en pacientes sometidos a cirugía de cáncer colorrectal. DISEÑO: Esta fue una revisión retrospectiva de los registros de pacientes de 2014 a 2016. AJUSTES: Este estudio se llevo a cabo en un solo centro terciario. PACIENTES: Se incluyeron pacientes sometidos a resección electiva de cáncer colorrectal. PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE RESULTADO: La sarcopenia se evaluó utilizando el índice de psoas total (TPI), calculado midiendo el área de la sección transversal del músculo psoas en la tercera vértebra lumbar y normalizado para la altura del paciente.Se evaluaron las variables preoperatorias e intraoperatorias, incluida la presencia de sarcopenia preoperatoria, como posibles factores de riesgo de resultados postoperatorios adversos. RESULTADOS: De 350 pacientes, 115 (32,9%) fueron identificados como sarcopénicos. La sarcopenia se asoció con un aumento significativo de la duración de la estancia (13 días frente a 7 días, OR 1.31, IC 95% 1.23–1.42, p < 0.01) y de la mortalidad al año (13.9% vs 0.9%, OR 16.2, IC 95% 4.34–83.4, p < 0.01). La sarcopenia también se asoció con un aumento significativo del riesgo de cualquier complicación (85.2% vs 34.5%, OR 15.4, IC 95% 8.39–29.7, p < 0.01) y de complicaciones mayores (30.4% vs 8.9%, OR 15.1 IC 95% 7.16–33,2, p < 0,01). LIMITACIONES: Este estudio estuvo limitado por su diseño retrospectivo y por el hecho de que se realizó en una sola institución. Aunque la reducción de la masa muscular es un indicio de sarcopenia, no evalúa la función física del paciente ni otros componentes del fenotipo de fragilidad. CONCLUSIÓN: La sarcopenia radiológica es un importante factor de riesgo predictivo para resultados postoperatorios adversos en pacientes quirúrgicos. Las tomografías computarizadas, que se realizan rutinariamente como parte de la estadificación, brindan la oportunidad de evaluar la sarcopenia antes de la operación. Consulte Video Resumen en http://links.lww.com/DCR/B201. (Traducción—Dr. Gonzalo Hagerman)

SSE was successful in a high proportion of patients in this series with low complication rates. Clinical success was higher in those who were older or with diverticular related bleeding.

Background and Purpose: Left atrial appendage (LAA) is the likely embolic source in atrial fibrillation (AF)–related cardioembolic strokes. We sought to determine the prevalence of LAA thrombus on hyperacute stroke imaging and its association with AF. Methods: We retrospectively examined the clinical and radiological features of patients assessed through the hyperacute stroke imaging pathway over a 12-month period at Christchurch Hospital. The LAA was included in the computed tomography angiogram scan-range as part of the multimodal imaging protocol. Two radiological readers blinded to clinical information independently assessed for the presence of LAA thrombus. The association between AF and LAA thrombus was determined by multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: Of 303 patients included in the analysis, the overall prevalence of LAA thrombus was 6.6% and 14.9% in patients with known AF. Patients with LAA thrombus were older (85 versus 75 years, P <0.01), more commonly had known or newly diagnosed AF (75% versus 30%, P <0.01) and heart failure (30% versus 8%, P =0.01), and was associated with intracranial large vessel occlusion (65% versus 39%, P =0.02). In the multivariable model, AF (odds ratio, 3.71 [95% CI, 1.25–11.01] P =0.02) was independently associated with LAA thrombus after adjusting for age and congestive heart failure. Interrater reliability was moderate (kappa=0.56). Conclusions: LAA thrombus is a potential radiological marker of AF and can be assessed as a part of hyperacute stroke imaging.

Background: Once considered to be a congenital condition, the epidemiology of rightsided colonic diverticulosis (RCD) is evolving. Acute diverticulitis (AD) is a complication of RCD which is frequently misdiagnosed as appendicitis, resulting in unnecessary surgery, as there is strong evidence supporting medical management for right-sided AD. In general, the incidence of AD correlates with the prevalence of RCD, which shows marked geographic variation. Few data reporting RCD prevalence come from Western countries, so the aim of this study is to define the prevalence of RCD in a New Zealand population. Methods: Independent review of the imaging from 1000 consecutive patients undergoing a computed tomography Kidney/Ureter/Bladder scan for suspected urolithiasis at Christchurch Hospital between January and November 2017 was undertaken, to determine the presence or absence, and distribution of colonic diverticulosis. Patients were excluded if they had a history of colonic resection, known IBD, or were less than 18-years old.Results: Thirty-one patients were excluded, leaving 969 eligible patients. Overall, 95 patients (9.8%) had RCD identified. The prevalence of RCD increased significantly with advancing age, being present in 2.3% of those aged 18-29, increasing to 20.3% in those greater than 70-years old (p < 0.001). Conclusion:The prevalence of RCD in a New Zealand population is relatively high and increases significantly with age. This adds support to the role of cross-sectional imaging in the evaluation of suspected appendicitis, to exclude right-sided AD. The association with advancing age supports RCD being an acquired condition rather than a congenital condition as was previously thought.

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