Effect of visceral obesity on surgical outcomes of patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery

Abstract

Introduction: Visceral obesity has been known to be more pathogenic than body mass index (BMI). There have been a few reports about the association between visceral obesity and surgical outcomes in laparoscopic surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of visceral obesity on surgical outcomes in Asians undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Methods: Between Jan 2005 and Dec 2012, a total of 543 patients who underwent laparoscopic resection for colorectal cancer and had available computed tomography scans were included in this retrospective study. Visceral fat volumes (VFV) were measured in preoperative computed tomography scans from S1 to 12.5 cm above. Patients were divided into an obese group and a non-obese group according to VFV and BMI. Obesity was defined by VFV ≥1.92 dm3 (75% value of VFV) or BMI ≥25 kg/m2. Results: There were 136 (25.0%) and 150 (27.6%) obese patients according to VFV and BMI, respectively. The high VFV group had a longer operative times (165.2 ± 84.4 vs. 146.1 ± 58.9 min

P=0.016), higher blood loss during surgery (132.5 ± 144.8 vs. 98.3 ± 109.6 mL

P=0.012), more frequent conversion to laparotomy (5.9 vs. 1.5%

P=0.010) and more frequent major complications (11.0 vs. 4.7%

P = 0.008), whereas there was no significant difference between the high and low BMI groups. High VFV was a significant independent risk factor for open conversion (odds ratio: 3.863, 95% confidence interval: 1.276 - 11.693, P=0.017). Conclusions: Visceral obesity can be a more clinically useful predictor than BMI in predicting surgical outcomes for laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery in Asians.