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.