Psoas muscle area index as a predictor of major adverse cardiovascular and limb events in patients with infrarenal aortic occlusions

Abstract

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the total psoas muscle area index (TPAI) was a predictive factor of major adverse cardiovascular and limb events (MACLEs) in patients with infrarenal aortic occlusion (IAO). Patients and methods: Between January 2011 and December 2019, a total of 72 patients with IAO (56 males, 16 females; mean age: 58.8±7.0 years; range, 46 to 75 years) were retrospectively reviewed. The TPAI was measured by dividing total psoas muscle area to squared patient height. The primary outcome measure was MACLEs. To estimate the effect of TPAI and clinical factors on prognosis, hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used. Results: The median follow-up was 32 months (interquartile range 15.9-44). The patients were divided into two groups as MACLE-positive (n=30, 41.6%) and MACLE-negative (n=42, 58.4%). The mean TPAI for MACLE-negative and MACLE-positive patients was 615±171 mm2/m2 and 521±129 mm2/m2, respectively (p=0.036). The presence of increased TPAI values was associated with the decreased MACLE rate (HR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.09-0.42; p=0.008). Conclusion: Our study results indicate that the TPAI measured by computed tomography scans is an independent prognostic factor for MACLEs in patients with chronic IAO.