Quantitative assessment of the musculofatty component of lower limbs in patients with achondroplasia

The study compares the musculofatty component mass of the lower limbs in patients with achondroplasia and in normal children at the age of 6-20 years. Soft tissue mass was determined with «Lunar» bone densitometer. To determine the changes in limb soft tissues, the coefficient of muscular/fatty tissue ratio was used. The obtained results evidence that the lower limb morphometric characteristics in patients with achondroplasia after surgical lengthening conform to the analogous values in normal children.