Mobilidade torácica de crianças em tratamento quimioterápico para leucemia aguda

Introduction: The leukemias represent the neoplasia that most affect the child population. Objective: To compare the thoracic mobility of children with acute leukemia during the maintenance phase of the chemotherapy and healthy scholars. Methods: We evaluated 34 children divided into two groups: A, composed by 17 children with acute leukemia, and B composed of 17 healthy. The thoracic mobility was evaluated by the chest expansion measurement on the axillary and xiphoid levels. Student’s t-test unpaired and the paired were used to compare values found during the evaluations. Results: Children with acute leukemia showed lower thoracic mobility on the axillary and xiphoid levels when compared to healthy children. However, there was no difference between values found in those levels in each group assessed. Conclusion: Children with acute leukemia during the maintenance phase of chemotherapy have reduced thoracic mobility. Key word: Child; Evaluation; Leukemia; Thorax.