Preterm infants inevitably accumulate a significant nutrient deficit in the first few weeks of life that will not be replaced when current RDIs are fed. This deficit can be directly related to subsequent postnatal growth retardation.postnatal growth retardation, preterm infants.

Aim-To examine the reproducibility of crown-heel length measurement; the precision and reproducibility of knee-heel length measurement; and the association between the two in healthy preterm infants. Methods-Paired crown-heel and kneeheel lengths were measured on 172 occasions by three observers in 43 preterm infants between 205 and 458 days of postconceptional age. Results-Crown-heel length (CHL) measurement was highly reproducible, with a coeYcient of variation (CV) of 0.41%. Knee-heel length (KHL) measurement was relatively precise (CV 0.78%), but less reproducible (intra-observer CV 1.77%, intra-observer CV 2.11%), especially in larger infants. The association between KHL and CHL was not consistent and varied with age. KHL was a poor predictor of CHL, with a 95% predictive interval of ± 27.5 mm. Conclusions-KHL was less reproducible than CHL, especially in larger infants, and a poor predictor of CHL. (Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 1999;81:F50-F55)

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