Prevalence of chest wall sarcopenia based on diagnostic criteria using multislice computed tomography in a sample of Egyptian population

Abstract Background Sarcopenia is a progressive, generalized skeletal muscle disorder characterized by a reduction in muscle mass and strength. The use of multislice computed tomography (CT) scans of the chest for the diagnosis of sarcopenia has emerged as a promising, reliable and objective method to measure muscle cross-sectional area. CSA (cross-sectional area) is commonly used in the assessment of muscle mass. The imaging biomarker commonly used for muscle quality assessment includes muscle attenuation value. Establishment of reference data of chest wall skeletal muscle area and suggest relevant diagnostic cutoff points for thoracic skeletal muscle sarcopenia measured by multislice computed tomography is therefore a promising, reliable and objective diagnostic method to be used. Aim of the work Set reference data of chest wall skeletal muscle area measured by multislice computed tomography among a sample of Egyptian population aged 20–80 years old. Patients and methods Patients This cross-sectional analytical study included 500 patients: 262 males (52.4%) and 238 females (47.6%), and their ages ranged from 20 to 80 with a mean age of 44.72 years. Results This study revealed that sarcopenia emerges earlier and progresses more rapidly in females than in males. In females, early signs of muscle quality deterioration are noticed. Across both sexes, HU (muscle density) declines earlier and more sharply than CSA, making it a more sensitive and earlier marker for sarcopenia. Conclusion Muscle attenuation (HU) is a more sensitive and earlier indicator of sarcopenic changes than cross-sectional area (CSA), particularly in females. In addition, our findings confirm that visual assessment of chest wall muscles during routine CT interpretation parallels the quantitative results of CSA and HU measurements.