Relative muscle indices and healthy reference values for sarcopenia assessment using T10 through L5 computed tomography skeletal muscle area

Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. Computed tomography (CT) assessments of sarcopenia utilize measurements of skeletal muscle cross-sectional area (SMA), radiation attenuation (SMRA), and intramuscular adipose tissue (IMAT). Unadjusted SMA is strongly correlated with both height and body mass index (BMI); therefore, SMA must be adjusted for body size to assess sarcopenic low muscle mass fairly in individuals of different heights and BMI. SMA/height (rather than