Changes in the thickness of leg muscles before and after laparotomy

In order to establish an objective and convenient technique to assess postoperative recovery following laparotomy, in particular activities of daily living, we measured the thickness of muscle tissues by ultrasound sonography. In the present study, the following four muscular compartments were selected: rectus femoris, biceps femoris, extensor digitorum longus, and soleus. These account for a large portion of the systemic skeletal musculature and are important for locomotion. Subjects were 28 patients who underwent moderately invasive surgery for stomach or colon cancer. The results showed that muscle thickness decreased significantly in all four compartments. Rectus femoris exhibited the greatest reduction in thickness and was most affected by short-term or long-term recumbency. Furthermore, for soleus, the tendency was that the longer the recumbency, the greater the wasting. These findings suggest that, of the four areas of the lower limb, rectus femoris is most affected by short-term recumbency and is most suited for objectively assessing postoperative recovery. The results of the present study suggest that it would be effective to design a recovery program focused on maintaining the femoral extensor muscles, which are most affected by short-term recumbency following laparotomy.