Nutritional assessment of children with short-bowel syndrome receiving home parenteral nutrition
C. H. Lin, T. M. Rossi, L. A. Heitlinger, A. Lerner, M. M. Riddlesberger and E. Lebenthal
Serial nutritional assessments using arm anthropometry, computed tomography
of the thigh, and serum biochemical indexes during an eight-month period
were performed on nine children with short-bowel syndrome receiving home
parenteral nutrition. The mean patient age at the beginning of the study
was 3.0 years. In anthropometric measurements, the mean body weight of our
test population did not deviate from that of the normal population. Most
patients were below the normal median for height. The mean midarm muscle
area was 114% of the normal median, and the mean midarm fat area was 98% of
the normal median. The mean weight and height velocities were 148% and 122%
of the standard, respectively. Retinol-binding protein values, albumin
levels, and total lymphocyte counts of the patients were low, while levels
of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were slightly
elevated. Midarm muscle and fat compartment sizes were highly correlated
with thigh muscle and fat compartment sizes, as demonstrated by computed
tomography. Our results demonstrate that children with short-bowel syndrome
receiving home parenteral nutrition can maintain normal growth
characteristics and extremity compartment sizes.
