This pilot study compared the use of bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA), a rapid, portable, and painless method of measuring body composition, to isotope dilution in patients with and without cystic fibrosis (CF). Many methods exist for measuring body composition but these measures can be difficult to use in the clinical setting. BIA has been validated as a tool for nutritional assessment in healthy adults, but it must be validated in patient populations with specific disease-related nutritional problems, such as CF. Ten ambulatory patients with CF were selected along with ten controls matched for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI; wt/ht2). Total body water (TBW) was determined using isotoperatio mass spectrometry on urine specimens before and after patients consumed 0.2 g/kg deuterium-rich water. BIA was performed using a tetrapolar technique; 500 microA of current at 50 kHz was introduced and the voltage drop measured. Seven men and three women were studied in each group. Median age was 27 (range, 18-39) and median BMI was 19.2 (range, 16.7-30.1) in CF adults. Median age was 27.5 (range, 15-43) and median BMI was 20.7 (range, 19.4-31.6) in controls. The resistance index (RI; ht2/resistance) correlated strongly with TBW in patients with CF (r = 0.88; y = 0.482x + 11.138; p < 0.05) as well as in controls (r = 0.87; y = 0.661x + 1.299; p < 0.05). We conclude that BIA is a rapid, portable, and painless method for measuring body composition that correlates well with the deuterium-dilution method.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)