e20714 Background: Quantification of frailty is necessary for estimation of therapy tolerance. Sarcopenia is a recognized measure of frailty and predicts long-term survival in both non-surgical and surgical cohorts. Here we set to evaluate interobserver agreement for certain sarcopenia parameters on routine abdominal CT scans among patients undergoing Whipple procedure for suspicion of neoplasm. Methods: Two observers using a standardized protocol for measurements of linear and surface morphometric parameters independently reviewed thirty abdominal CT scans. Results: Mean morphometric data for the entire group were: total psoas area 2237±868 mm2, mean psoas muscle density 46±9 HU, mean psoas antero-posterior diameter 40±8mm, mean psoas latero-lateral diameter 36±8 mm, mean rectus muscle thickness 9.2±2.6 mm, mean distance between anterior vertebral L4 surface and linea alba 115±28 mm (L4-alba distance), mean subcutaneous fat thickness 23.7 ±11.5mm, mean L4 vertebra antero-posterior diameter 37.6±5.2 mm. Excellent inter-observer correlation was observed for total psoas area is R2=0.788, p<0.001. Similarly good correlation was detected between observers for rectus muscle thickness (R2=0.6019, p<0.001), subcutaneous fat thickness (R2=0.731, p<0.001), and L4-alba distance (R2=0.601, p<0.001). Poor correlation was observed for L4 diameter (R2=0.392,p=0.0014). No interobserver correlation was observed for psoas muscle density (R2=0.005, p=0.743). Conclusions: Excellent degree of interobserver correlation was observed for the following morphometric data obtained from abdominal CT scans: Total psoas muscle area, L4-alba distance, rectus muscle and subcutaneous fat thickness. Further studies are needed to evaluate utility of morphometric parameters for prediction of surgical outcomes.
Erratum: Corrected Sentence. The Appropriateness of the Length of Insulin Needles Based on Determination of Skin and Subcutaneous Fat Thickness in the Abdomen and Upper Arm in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes