Assessment of sarcopenia as a predictive tool for surgical outcomes in patients undergoing partial or radical nephrectomy

Objective: This study aimed to assess preoperative psoas muscle measurements as a predictive tool for surgical outcomes in radical or partial nephrectomy for renal tumors. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 90 nephrectomy patients from 2017 to 2022 at a tertiary hospital. Data included demographics, malignancy type, Fuhrman grade, and surgical outcomes such as blood loss, procedure time, and hospital stay. Preoperative psoas measurements were obtained via CT scans. Results: A weak but statistically significant positive correlation was observed between psoas measurements and estimated blood loss (r = 0.247, p-value = 0.019). Correlations with procedure time (r = 0.076, p-value = 0.476) and hospital stay (r = 0.101, p-value = 0.349) were insignificant. No significant differences were found in psoas measurements between blood transfusion groups (p-value = 0.857) or acute renal failure groups (p-value = 0.184). Psoas measurements did not differ significantly across malignancy types (p-value = 0.335) or Fuhrman grades (p-value = 0.386). Conclusion: Sarcopenia showed limited predictive value for immediate surgical outcomes but remains relevant for long-term prognosis. Future studies should refine diagnostic criteria and explore preoperative sarcopenia management.