title: Muscle mass during childhood--relationship to skeletal development.
abstract: Bone densitometric data often are difficult to interpret in children and adolescents because of large inter- and intraindividual variations in bone size. Here, we propose a functional approach to bone densitometry that addresses two questions: Is bone strength normally adapted to the largest physiological loads, that is, muscle force? Is muscle force adequate for body size? To implement this approach, forearm muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and bone mineral content (BMC) of the radial diaphysis were measured in 349 healthy subjects from 6 to 19 years of age (183 girls), using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). This functional approach to pediatric bone densitometric data should be adaptable to a variety of densitometric techniques.
authors.affiliation: Childrens Hospital, University of Cologne, Germany. Eckhard.schoenau@medizin.uni-koeln.de
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schoenau
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Neu
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Manz
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology; D001846:Bone Development / Q000502:physiology*; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D012863:Skeleton; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology