title: Cross-sectional content analysis of clinically applied circumferences.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The contours of a human body are determined by the volumes of the underlying tissues [adipose tissue (AT), muscle, bone and viscera]. Conceptually, they are assumed to be used as a concentric set of cylinders. Determination of these clinically applied circumferences in terms of relative tissue proportions has led to conflicting results. As it remains unclear what a circumference really measures or represents and how it relates to body composition (BC), the aim of this study was to determine the content of the circumferences and whether these perimeters can be used to assess segmental or whole body tissue components.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subsequent to an anthropometric protocol, the five white Caucasian cadavers were fractionated into slices of 3 cm and segmental and whole BC was determined at the anatomical tissue-system level by direct dissection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only two circumferences correlated significantly with their dominating component [upper arm circumference (r = 0·98; P < 0·01) and waist circumference (WC) (r = 0·90; P < 0·05) with AT]. Two circumferences were related to a segmental tissue component [WC (r = 1·00; P < 0·001) with muscle mass of the trunk and wrist circumference (WrC) (r = 0·90; P < 0·05) with bone mass of the upper limb]. Two circumferences were related to a whole body tissue component [chest circumference (r = 0·90; P < 0·05) with whole body AT mass and WrC (r = 0·90; P < 0·05) with whole body bone mass].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The clinically applied circumferences do not measure what they pretend to measure. Of all the studied circumferences, only 2 circumferences (WC and WrC) can be used to assess segmental or whole body tissue components.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Anatomy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. jonathan.tresignie@vub.ac.be
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tresignie
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scafoglieri
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cattrysse
authors.forename: Jan Pieter
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Clarys
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D001132:Arm; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D002102:Cadaver; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004210:Dissection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055105:Waist Circumference