Height prediction from ulna length

Abstract

Height is fundamental to assessing growth and nutrition, calculating body surface area, and predicting pulmonary function in childhood. Its measurement is hindered by muscle weakness, joint, or spinal deformity. Arm span has been used as a substitute, but is inaccurate. The objective of the study was to identify a limb measurement that precisely and reproducibly predicts height in childhood. Males (n=1144) and females (n=1199), aged 5 years 4 months to 19 years 7 months, without disability were recruited from Melbourne schools. Height, arm span, ulna, forearm, tibia, and lower leg lengths were measured with a Harpenden stadiometer and anthropometer. Prediction equations for height based on ulna length (U) and age in years (A) were developed using linear regression. Ulna centile charts were developed by the LMS method. For males, height (cm)=4.605U+1.308A+28.003 (R2=0.96); for females, height (cm)=4.459U+1.315A+31.485 (R2=0.94). Intra- and inter-observer variability was 0.41% and 0.61% relative to the mean, respectively. Height prediction equations from tibia, forearm, and lower leg length were calculated. We show that ulna measurement is reproducible and precisely predicts height in school-age children. It appears to be superior to arm span measurement when neuromuscular weakness, joint, or spinal deformity exists. Ulna growth charts should facilitate growth assessment.

Differences in Pulmonary Function Based on Height Prediction Obtained by Using Alternative Measures

“…Various suggestions have been made for estimating height such as using KH, UL, DS and AS [8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16], but to date the impact of these alternative measures on the variability of pulmonary function, and thus their practical usefulness, has not been evaluated.…”

“…It is increasingly used in nutrition [9] and the World Health Organization has recommended its use when SH cannot be obtained [10]. Ulna length (UL) is not affected by age; it may be measured more accurately than other anthropometric measures and is highly reproducible [11]. In addition, it has been studied in the field of pulmonary function testing [12].…”

Multiplier Method for Limb-Length Prediction in the Upper Extremity

“…We calculated and compared the multipliers for different percentiles gathered from 16 published databases of upperextremity bone length 5,6,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] and from the unpublished 1989 thesis entitled "Biometrie des Membres Superieurs," presented by Dr. François Gache to the Universite de Montpellier. All these databases provided measurements for a range of ages and included measurements obtained until children achieved skeletal maturity.…”

“…Five clinical [13][14][15][16][17] databases of upper-extremity bone measurements of children were used. Although clinical measurements of long bones are not as accurate as radiographic measurements, they are less costly, do not require much equipment, and do not expose the subject to ionizing radiation.…”

Forearm Length – A New Tool to Standardize Bone Parameters of the Forearm Measured with Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography in Individuals with Disproportional Growth of Forearm Length and Body Height

“…Thus, forearm length (FL) is a determinant of bone mass and bone strength at the forearm. Normally, FL stands in a close linear relationship to height in the growing skeleton of males and females [16]. Therefore, body height is a useful variable to adjust bone parameters to skeletal growth in individuals not affected with diseases changing the proportion between FL and height.…”