Usefulness of knemometry in the assessment of oxandrolone effects and role of infections in short-term growth within constitutional growth delay

The knemometer is a non invasive device for measuring leg length and evaluating stature variations otherwise not detected with Harpenden stadiometer. In several clinical conditions of short stature, the knemometer allows to evaluate the short-term effect of growth promoting agents, as well as the role of infections in growth dynamics. In view of these reports we have evaluated the short-term (56-105 days) variation of the leg length in 4 subjects with constitutional growth delay (CGD), treated with oxandrolone at the dose of 0.03 mg/kg/day. The measurements were performed weekly by the same operator, on the same weekday and at the same daytime. The results show that oxandrolone is a useful pharmacological approach to CGD: a positive effect was observed some 40 days after the treatment had been started, as well as a subsequent, progressive increase of the leg length, without evident stature variations. Furthermore a correlation between intercurrent diseases and growth failure, as well as growth resumption at the end of the illness were found.