{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,28]],"date-time":"2026-10-28T13:21:00Z","timestamp":1793193660155,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,7]],"date-time":"2025-08-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1754524800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Neurol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title><jats:p>This systematic review examined if temporal muscle thickness (TMT) as a surrogate marker of sarcopenia was a predictor of outcomes after stroke.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>We explored the PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases till 18th January 2025 for studies reporting stroke prognosis based on baseline TMT. Pooled analyses examined associations with post-stroke mortality, functional outcomes, and dysphagia. Meta-regression was conducted using baseline NIHSS and TMT values as moderators.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Nine studies were available. Meta-analysis showed that low TMT was associated with a statistically significant increase in the risk of post-stroke mortality (OR: 1.42 95% CI: 1.03, 1.96 <jats:italic>I<\/jats:italic><jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup> =\u202f43%). A pooled analysis of five studies showed that there was a tendency for good functional outcomes with high TMT (OR: 1.24 95% CI: 1.00, 1.54 <jats:italic>I<\/jats:italic><jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup> =\u202f75%). But the results were non-significant. Two studies showed that baseline TMT was significantly associated with an increased risk of dysphagia. Meta-regression did not identify significant moderating effects.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Preliminary evidence suggests that lower TMT is associated with higher mortality after stroke, while associations with functional recovery remain inconclusive. Current limitations, including heterogeneity and lack of sex-specific analyses, preclude routine clinical use. Further standardized and patient-level research is warranted.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Systematic review registration<\/jats:title><jats:p><jats:uri>https:\/\/www.crd.york.ac.uk\/prospero\/<\/jats:uri>, identifier CRD42025637925.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fneur.2025.1639425","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,7]],"date-time":"2025-08-07T15:54:26Z","timestamp":1754582066000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Value of temporal muscle thickness in predicting outcomes of stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Min","family":"Fang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fangjun","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yu","family":"Sheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shengchen","family":"Qiu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1459","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(16)31012-1","article-title":"Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980\u20132015: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 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