Assessment of stature of children with myelomeningocele, and usefulness of arm-span measurement.

The lengths and arm spans of 99 children with myelomeningocele were measured. 52 of the children had short stature (less than the 3rd percentile): this occurred in 80 per cent of those with lesions at L3 or higher and in 43 per cent of those with L4-L5 lesions. Stature was unaffected among children with S1 or lower lesions. 54 per cent of all the children had an arm span wider than the anticipated range for length; of these, 69 per cent also had short stature. It is concluded that short stature is common among children with myelomeningocele, particularly those with the highest spinal lesions, and that arm span may be a more useful measure than length in evaluating growth velocity of these children.