Trajectory of Abdominal Skeletal Muscle Changes During Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients With Aortic Disease.

Objective: This study focused on routine computed tomography imaging for aortic disease management and evaluated the trajectory of skeletal muscle changes through inpatient and outpatient cardiac rehabilitation.

Design: Prospective observational study included patients who underwent abdominal computed tomography three times (baseline, postacute care, and follow-up). The area and density of the all-abdominal and erector spine muscles and intramuscular adipose tissue were measured. A generalized linear model with patients as random effects was used to investigate skeletal muscle changes.

Results: Thirty-nine patients completed outpatient cardiac rehabilitation, and 60 were incomplete. Skeletal muscle area significantly decreased from baseline to the follow-up period only in the incomplete rehabilitation group. Skeletal muscle density significantly decreased from baseline to postacute care and increased at the follow-up period, but only patients who completed rehabilitation showed recovery up to baseline at the follow-up period. These trajectories were more pronounced in the erector spine muscle. Intramuscular adipose tissue showed a trend of gradual increase, but only the incomplete rehabilitation group showed a significant difference from baseline to the follow-up period.

Conclusions: The density of skeletal muscle may reflect the most common clinical course; skeletal muscle area and intramuscular adipose tissue are unlikely to improve positively, and their maintenance seemed optimal.