title: Intra-abdominal infectious complications following gastrectomy in patients with excessive visceral fat.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Excessive visceral fat may be a better predictor of the development of postoperative morbidity after gastrectomy than body mass index (BMI). The aim of the present study was to clarify the most appropriate fat parameter to predict pancreas-related infection and anastomotic leakage following gastrectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was performed in 206 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy at the Shizuoka Cancer Center between April 2008 and March 2009. Relationships between fat parameters, including visceral fat area (VFA), and early surgical outcomes were investigated. The risk factors for pancreas-related infection and anastomotic leakage were identified using univariate and multivariate analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no strong association between any of the fat parameters and operating time, intraoperative blood loss, the number of lymph nodes retrieved, or the duration of the postoperative hospital stay. Pancreas-related infection occurred in 18 patients (8.7%), whereas anastomotic leakage was observed in 10 patients (4.9%). Of all the fat parameters, only VFA was found to be an independent risk factor for both pancreas-related infection and anastomotic leakage, with odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 1.015 (1.005-1.025) and 1.010 (1.000-1.021), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Excessive visceral fat, represented by the VFA, was found to be an independent risk factor for both pancreas-related infection and anastomotic leakage following gastrectomy.
authors: Division of Gastric Surgery, Shizuoka Cancer Center, 1007 Shimonagakubo, Nagaizumi-cho, Sunto-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan.
authors: Norihiko
authors: N
authors: Sugisawa
authors: Masanori
authors: M
authors: Tokunaga
authors: Yutaka
authors: Y
authors: Tanizawa
authors: Etsuro
authors: E
authors: Bando
authors: Taiichi
authors: T
authors: Kawamura
authors: Masanori
authors: M
authors: Terashima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D059413:Intraabdominal Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012307:Risk Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult