Visceral obesity, body mass index and risk of complications after colon cancer resection: A retrospective cohort study

Background The aim of our study was to assess the influence of visceral obesity (VO), as measured by preoperative abdominal CT scan, in relation to body mass index (BMI) on the incidence of postoperative complications and duration of hospital stay after colon cancer surgery. Methods Patients who underwent elective resection for colon cancer between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2013, and had a preoperative CT scan were entered in the study. Visceral fat area (VFA) was determined by using the preoperative CT scan at the L3–L4 level. The effect of VO, defined as a VFA of >100 cm2 , on postoperative complications and duration of hospital stay was analyzed. Results Of 564 included patients, 65% had VO. VO was associated with more anastomotic leakage ( P = .04), pneumonia ( P = .02), wound infection ( P = .03), reoperations ( P = .04), and longer duration of hospital stay ( P = .05). Of patients with a BMI < 25 kg/m2 , 44% had VO. In this group, VO was associated significantly with postoperative complications, cardiac ( P