Psoas index

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Psoas index is an imaging marker of sarcopenia, which is a key component of frailty.

Using cross sectional imaging, psoas area values are computed , normalized for height and gender, with a resulting figure for PI in cm/m.

  • (RPA + LPA)/height

Limitations

While an effective standardized assessment of core muscle quality, it is reliant on additional information rarely available to the radiologist, namely patient height. Other assessment methods such as the Hounsfield Unit Average Calculation (HUAC) achieve similar outcomes and can be performed using cross-sectional image data only .

See also