Clinical Impact of Sarcopenia in the Decision-Making Process for Patients with Acute Diverticulitis

Abstract

Background: Acute diverticulitis (AD), an inflammatory complication of diverticulosis, affects around 4% of individuals with diverticulosis, with increased incidence in older populations. This study aims to assess the impact of sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass, on the clinical decision-making and outcomes of patients with AD. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 237 patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) between January 2014 and February 2022. Patients diagnosed with AD Hinchey ≥ 2 via contrasted tomography (CT) were included. Sarcopenia was assessed using CT scans at the third lumbar vertebra (L3), with skeletal muscle area (SMA) normalized by height to calculate the skeletal muscle index (SMI). Patients were divided into two groups based on sarcopenia status and analysed for surgical outcomes, non-operative management (NOM) success, and complications. Results: The prevalence of sarcopenia was 46%. Sarcopenic patients were significantly older and had lower BMI and higher frailty scores. A higher proportion of sarcopenic patients underwent Hartmann, while non-sarcopenic patients more often had anastomosis. Sarcopenia did not significantly affect overall morbidity, mortality, or the failure rate of NOM. However, sarcopenic patients with a BMI > 25 had a higher likelihood of requiring redo surgeries. Conclusions: Sarcopenia plays a critical role in the surgical management of AD but does not predict worse clinical outcomes. The decision to perform surgery, particularly Hartmann's procedure, is influenced by sarcopenia, yet morbidity and mortality rates are comparable between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients. These findings highlight the need for sarcopenia to be considered in preoperative assessments.

Keywords: acute diverticulitis; outcomes; sarcopenia; surgical management.