We used biochemical and clinical variables to develop a method to
predict the expected duration of independent walking following surgery and
bracing in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Data from the records
of fifty patients were analyzed by linear and multiple regression. The most
useful factors, applied in combination, in predicting the duration of
walking ability after bracing were: percentage of residual muscle strength,
vital capacity, creatinine coefficient, motivation of the patient at the
time of bracing, and decrease in creatinine coefficient in the two years
prior to bracing. This system uses readily available variables to predict
the response to bracing in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Improvement in the criteria for the selection of patients for surgery and
bracing is important in view of the economic cost as well as the demands on
the time and energy of these children and their parents.