Growth of trunk and legs of children with myelomeningocele.

Total body length and body segments (crown-rump length, sub-ischeal length) of 78 children with myelomeningocele were measured at regular intervals during growth for a mean duration of 4.4 years. These children were shown to have defective growth, with an increased upper segment/lower segment ratio. It was found that the higher the level of the meningocele the greater the growth defects. However, the relationship was statistically significant only for the first seven years of life. It is concluded that neurological damage was mainly responsible for defective growth during the first years of life, but that other factors independent of the level of the meningocele also come into play in later years.