ADULT STATURE AND ANTHROPOMORPHIC MEASUREMENTS OF PATIENTS WITH MYELOMENINGOCELE

Children with myelomeningocele are extremely short, yet little data ex ists on adult stature and anthropomorphic measurements, We measured th e recumbent length, weight, arm length, sitting height and calculated body mass index of 54 adults with myelomeningocele. Mid parental heigh t was also calculated. Measurements were compared with normative data. Patient charts were reviewed for history of hydrocephalus. The 27 mal es and 27 females had a mean age of 24.8 +/- 5.7 years. The mean lengt h for adult females was 141.9 +/- 12 cm and was 152.1 +/- 13 cm for ma les. Patients with thoracic level of lesions were shorter than those w ith lumbar level who were, in turn, shorter than those with sacral lev els. Recumbent length, sitting height, arm length and arm span were si gnificantly smaller than expected values. Recumbent length was smaller than mid parental height. Those with ventriculoperitoneal shunts, req uired for hydrocephalus, were shorter than these without a shunt. Conc lusion Adults with myelomeningocele have significant short stature, Ar m span is not an interchangeable measure with length for patients with myelomeningocele. Multiple factors are likely to be responsible for t he observed short stature.