Impact of preoperative muscle mass and quality on surgical outcomes in patients undergoing major hepatectomy for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma

Purposes This study sought to define the impact of skeletal muscle mass and quality on postoperative outcomes in patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. Methods Patients who underwent major hepatectomy for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma were included. The normalized total psoas area (TPA) (psoas muscle index [PMI]) and average Hounsfield units of the TPA (psoas muscle density [PMD]) were measured using preoperative computed tomography images. The cohort was dichotomized using the following indices: sex‐specific lowest tertile (low PMI and low PMD) and other (normal PMI and normal PMD). Intraoperative and postoperative outcomes were compared, focusing on PMI and PMD. Results A total of 456 patients were analyzed. The intraoperative blood loss (IBL) was 21.3 ml/kg in the low PMI group and 17.2 ml/kg in the normal PMI group (P = .008). Patients in the low PMI or PMD group experienced postoperative infectious complications more frequently than those in the other groups. The median survival time was 37.8 months in the low PMI group and 54.2 months in the normal PMI group (P = .027). Conclusions PMI and PMD were closely associated with IBL and postoperative infectious complications. Additionally, PMI impacted long‐term survival. These results suggest an importance of improving muscle mass and quality before surgery. Asai and colleagues analyzed 456 patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma to define the impact of skeletal muscle mass and quality on postoperative outcomes. The psoas muscle index and psoas muscle density were closely associated with intraoperative blood loss and postoperative infectious complications. Additionally, the psoas muscle index impacted long‐term survival.