Association Between Sarcopenia Measurement in Pectoral Region and Immediate Complications Following Percutaneous Transthoracic Lung Biopsy

Purpose: Measurement of the skeletal muscle area (SMA) at the T4 vertebra level on thoracic computed tomography (CT) has emerged as a novel marker for predicting sarcopenia. This study aimed to investigate the association between complications following percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy and sarcopenia. Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy to make a definitive diagnosis of suspected lung cancer were included in this study. The factors that are effective in predicting pneumothorax and parenchymal hemorrhage, which are the most common complications that may occur after lung biopsy, were investigated. For this purpose, statistically evaluated the relationship between the incidence of pneumothorax and parenchymal hemorrhage postbiopsy and factors including age, sex, lesion localization, lesion size, procedure duration, depth of lesion, number of pleural insertions of the biopsy needle, method of biopsy (fine needle aspiration biopsy or core needle biopsy ), and sarcopenia. The effects of these factors on complications occurring after biopsy were evaluated by univariate and multivariate regression analysis. Results: Three hundred twenty patients (M/F: 226/94) were enrolled in this retrospective study conducted between January 2016 and August 2023. The average age of the patients included was 65.18±12.62 SD (range: 43 to 88 y). The most common complications after CT-guided biopsy were pneumothorax (n=58, 18.1%) and parenchymal hemorrhage (n=21, 6.6%). Statistically significant associations were found between the incidence of complications and factors such as lesion size, distance from the pleura, and the most important factor as thoracic skeletal muscle area. Conclusion: The findings suggest that sarcopenia, along with certain clinical and procedural factors, may play a role in the prediction of complications following transthoracic lung biopsy. Further research is warranted to elucidate these associations’ mechanisms and optimize patient care strategies.