Body composition by doubly labelled water (dlw) and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (dxa) in tiny prematuse infants (PI)

To determine if changes in soft tissue composition can be detected in tiny PI, we conducted serial measures of total body water (TBW) and fat free mass (FFM) by DLW in 37 PI with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (birth weight 867 ±195 g; post-conceptional age (PCA) 26±1.4 wk) in hospital at 34±1 and 38±1 wk PCA, and by DLW and DXA (Hologic QDR 1000/W) at 0.9±0.5 mo (1 mo) and 3.2±0.4 mo (3 mo) corrected age. The table shows data (mean±SD) for …