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Body Surface Area (Mosteller)

Body surface area by the Mosteller formula, √(height cm × weight kg ÷ 3600), used for chemotherapy dosing and indexing cardiac output. Average adult BSA is about 1.7–1.9 m².

  • Weight (kg or lb)
  • Height (cm or m or in)
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Formula

BSA (m²) = √(height (cm) × weight (kg) ÷ 3600) · Du Bois: 0.007184 × W^0.425 × H^0.725

Clinical pearls

  • Many oncology protocols cap BSA at 2.0 m²; check the protocol.

Examples

bsa 70kg 170cmbody surface area for a 60 kg 160 cm woman

FAQ

Which BSA formula is best?

Mosteller is the most widely used because it is simple and agrees closely with Du Bois in adults.

Evidence

  1. Mosteller RD. Simplified calculation of body-surface area. N Engl J Med 1987;317:1098.

General & Anthropometrics · Reviewed 2026-10-14 · Methodology