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. 1999 Jul;81(1):F50–F55. doi: 10.1136/fn.81.1.f50

Knee-heel length measurement in healthy preterm infants

I Griffin, N Pang, J Perring, R Cooke
PMCID: PMC1720961  PMID: 10375363

Abstract

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 knee-heel lengths were measured on 172 occasions by three observers in 43 preterm infants between 205and 458 days of postconceptional age.
RESULTS—Crown-heel length (CHL) measurement was highly reproducible, with a coefficient 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 ± 27.5mm.
CONCLUSIONS—KHL was less reproducible than CHL, especially in larger infants, and a poor predictor of CHL.



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Selected References

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