Appendicular skeletal muscle mass: measurement by dual-photon absorptiometry.

This report evaluates the potential of DPA to isolate appendages of human subjects and to quantify extremity skeletal muscle mass (limb fat-free soft tissue). The method was evaluated in 34 healthy adults who underwent DPA study, anthropomety of the limbs, and estimation of whole-body skeletal muscle by models based on total body potassium and nitrogen and on fat-free body mass. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass estimated by DPA is a potentially practical and accurate method of quantifying human skeletal muscle mass in vivo