The Impact of Sarcopenia on Clinical Outcomes after Lumbar Decompression Surgery.

Background: Sarcopenia is known as a risk factor for poor outcomes. However, its association with clinical outcomes after spinal surgery remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of sarcopenia on clinical outcomes after lumbar decompression surgery using the Asian Working Group of Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 criteria. Methods: A total of 135 patients who underwent lumbar decompression surgery were included in this study. Clinical outcomes were assessed preoperatively and at the one-year follow-up, including the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for lumbar pain, VAS for leg pain, VAS for leg numbness, the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RDQ), and the satisfaction rate. Patients were divided into three groups: the normal, sarcopenia, and severe sarcopenia groups, according to the AWGS 2019 criteria. Results: The proportion of patients with sarcopenia was 27.4% and that of severe sarcopenia was 11.5%. The body mass index in the normal group was higher than in the sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia groups. Improvement in clinical outcomes was observed in all three groups. Preoperatively, ODI and RDQ in both sarcopenia groups were higher than those of the normal group; this difference remained at one year postoperatively. Conclusions: Lumbar decompression surgery effectively reduces lumbar pain, leg pain, and leg numbness, but patients with sarcopenia might be more likely to experience persistent functional impairments compared to those without sarcopenia.