[Anthropometric parameters].

Anthropometry is defined as the comparative measurement and study of the human body. Anthropometric measurements have been used for many years to assess the nutritional status of individuals and populations in the United States. More recently anthropometric measurements have become a routine part of the nutrition assessment of surgical patients. Upper arm anthropometry and handgrip dynamometry are rapid and inexpensive tests for detecting malnutrition, but they are not useful for preoperative screening to predict postoperative morbidity because appropriate standards are missing in Europe. In a prospective study none of these preoperatively measured variables were of predictive value to postoperative complications, relating the method to its specificity, sensitivity, and validity.