ArticleInternational journal of spine surgery2022
Is Sarcopenia a Risk Factor for Postoperative Surgical Site Infection After Posterior Lumbar Spinal Fusion?
Article in International journal of spine surgery, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Radiographic paraspinal muscle size in adult spinal deformity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Spine deformity · 2026Pooled it
- Association between sarcopenia and postoperative delirium in elderly surgical patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2025Pooled it
- The impact of sarcopenia on the incidence of postoperative outcomes following spine surgery: Systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Association between smoking and surgical site infection after spinal fusion surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Irish journal of medical science · 2026Article
- Development of a risk scoring system for surgical site infection after lumbar surgery using Dixon MRI and clinical parameters.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
- The impact of sarcopenia on the efficacy of posterior surgical treatment for degenerative lumbar scoliosis.BMC surgery · 2025Article
- Systemic immune-inflammatory biomarkers combined with the CRP-albumin-lymphocyte index predict surgical site infection following posterior lumbar spinal fusion: a retrospective study using machine learning.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- The cross-sectional area of gluteal muscle on multiaxial CT scan as a predictor for diagnosing sarcopenia in patients with degenerative lumbar disease.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2024Observational
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Leakage Combined with Blood Biomarkers Predicts Poor Wound Healing After Posterior Lumbar Spinal Fusion: A Machine Learning Analysis.International journal of general medicine · 2024Article
- Impact of Sarcopenia on Spinal Spondylosis: A Literature Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- Complications after Posterior Lumbar Fusion for Degenerative Disc Disease: Sarcopenia and Osteopenia as Independent Risk Factors for Infection and Proximal Junctional Disease.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
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7 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThis retrospective observational study aimed to evaluate the impact of sarcopenia on surgical site infection (SSI) risk in patients who undergo posterior lumbar fusion. While many studies have investigated the impact of sarcopenia on postoperative morbidity both in general and orthopedic surgery, none of them examined the risk of postoperative infection after lumbar spine surgery in sarcopenic vs nonsarcopenic patients.
methodsConsecutive 55- to 75-year-old patients who underwent short posterior lumbar fusion for degenerative pathology between 2004 and 2019 were included. Charts were reviewed, and the psoas:lumbar vertebral index (PLVI) was used as a measure of central sarcopenia. Patients were stratified according to low vs high PLVI and then according to postoperative infection status. SSI was assessed as an outcome. A statistical analysis was performed to identify risk factors for infection.
resultsA total of 304 patients were included; 24 (7.9%) developed postoperative SSI. The average follow-up was 26.2 months. The sarcopenic group was found to not have a higher likelihood of experiencing postoperative SSI (
conclusionsLow PLVI was not associated with postoperative SSI in this study. This finding is in contrast with the findings of other authors who found sarcopenia to be a risk factor for postoperative complications. However, these studies did not consider SSI as the only primary endpoint, and patients were not stratified by indication (degeneration, infection, tumor, and trauma) or surgical procedure. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Low PLVI was not associated with postoperative SSI in patients who undergo short posterior lumbar fusion for degenerative pathology. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3:
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