Preliminary Study of Antebrachial Circumference Measurement and Association with Muscle Mass

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between antebrachial circumference (AC) and antebrachial muscle mass (AM) in dogs. We hypothesized that there would be a positive correlation between AC and AM.

Materials and Methods: Both forelimbs of six canine cadavers were used. Antebrachial length (AL) was measured from proximal olecranon to lateral styloid process. AC was measured perpendicularly to the long axis of the limb at 20% of AL distal to the proximal olecranon using a spring tension-measuring tape. The skin and subcutis were dissected from the muscle. The flexor and extensor tendons were transected at the level of the carpus. The muscles of the antebrachium were excised and the mass determined. The linear relationship between mean AC and AM was analysed using mixed model analysis with individual dogs as the random block effect. The difference between observers on left and right AC measurements was analysed using one-way repeated measures.

Results: Mean AM increased as AC increased (►Fig. 1). A positive linear trendline was established (r ² = 0.99). A statistical difference (p <0.0001) between mean AC of each dog was identified, but there was no statistical difference (p = 0.148) compared between the AC of left and right forearm of same dog.

Discussion/Conclusion: There was a strong positive correlation between AC and AM. Using this measuring technique, future studies regarding circumference of atrophied limbs to evaluate changes in muscle mass should be evaluated. Limitations include lack of overtly atrophied limbs and those associated with cadaveric studies.

Acknowledgements: There was no proprietary interest or funding provided for this study.

Publication History

Article published online:
26 October 2022