Sarcopenia prevalence in pediatric intestinal transplant recipients: Implications on post-transplant outcomes

Background Sarcopenia has been associated with poor surgical outcomes but has not been studied in pediatric intestinal transplantation. We aimed to determine sarcopenia prevalence in intestinal transplant recipients and the association of sarcopenia with outcomes. Methods We performed a cross-sectional retrospective chart review of intestinal transplant recipients from 2000-present. We estimated total psoas muscle area (tPMA) at L3-L4 and L4-L5 from computed tomography scans prior to or in the immediate peri-operative period. Sarcopenia was defined by tPMA below the 5(th) percentile for age and sex. We built a Cox-proportional hazards model to determine the association between sarcopenia and patient and graft survival. Results Of the 56 intestinal transplant recipients included, 36 (64%) were sarcopenic. Graft survival was 79% at one year and 59% at five years. Overall patient survival was 86% at one year and 76% at five years. Peri-transplant sarcopenia was associated with improved graft survival (Hazard ratio 0.42, 95% confidence interval: 0.20-0.88) but not overall survival (Hazard ratio 0.47, 95% confidence interval: 0.19-1.20). Conclusions In this first report of sarcopenia in pediatric intestinal transplant, we found a high sarcopenia prevalence without an association with worse outcomes. The potential improved graft survival in sarcopenic patients along with underlying mechanisms warrant further exploration.