Jarzem and Gledhill developed equations for predicting height in children or middle aged adults based on 4 different measurements of the upper extremity. This can help determine the height for a person with spinal deformity, amputation or other physical problem that makes direct measurement of height difficult or misleading. The authors are from McGill University and Montreal Children's Hospital.
Patient selection: healthy persons of different races from 6 months to 56 years
Exclusions: significant limb-trunk disproportions
Parameters:
(1) arm span in cm (distance from tip of middle finger to tip of middle finger with arms and hands extended laterally at 90° from trunk)
(2) upper arm length in cm (with upper arm adducted and vertical, elbow bent at 90°, forearm horizontal and anterior, distance from the inferolateral acromium to the lateral epicondyle of the humerus)
(3) lower arm and hand length in cm (with upper arm adducted and vertical, elbow bent at 90°, forearm horizontal and anterior, and hand extended, distance from olecranon to tip of middle finger)
(4) acromioclavicular to acromioclavicular distance in cm (distance between the acromioclavicular points over the back)
where:
• Measurements from left and right sides were the same in healthy, well-developed persons.
height in cm =
= (4.8149 * (acromioclavicular to acromioclavicular distance in cm)) - 4.6551
height in cm =
= (5.2951 * (upper arm length in cm)) + 9.1172
height in cm =
= (3.5958 * (lower arm and arm length in cm)) + 3.6321
height in cm =
= (0.9225 * (arm span in cm)) + 7.1668
