A stadiometer, as shown in Fig. 14.8, allows the height to be measured on successive occasions to within 1mm when the measurements are made with care by the same observer using the same technique. In a measurement of more than 1m, the accuracy of this instrument compares favourably with any other measurement made clinically or in the laboratory. Nevertheless, measurement made over less than three to six months may produce considerable errors, and reliance should not be placed upon single estimates of height velocity made over a short period of time.
