Skeletal and chronological ages in American adolescents: Current findings in skeletal maturation

Abstract

Purpose This study was designed to assess the relationship between skeletal and chronological ages among current American adolescents using the Greulich and Pyle atlas for skeletal age determination. Materials and methods We used the Greulich and Pyle atlas to prospectively determine skeletal age in a group of 138 otherwise healthy American adolescents from 12 to 18 years of age. 62 males and 76 females were enrolled in this cohort. Paired Student t-tests were used to statistically compare the skeletal and chronological ages in this population. Subgroup analysis examined the effect of gender on differences between chronologic age and skeletal age. Results For the entire cohort, mean skeletal age was significantly greater than chronological age (mean 0.80 years, P \ 0.01). In 29 cases (21%) the skeletal age was at least 2 years greater than the chronologic age. Among females, such cases with marked discrepancy occurred exclusively in those chronologically between 12 and 15 years of age (P \ 0.01). Males demonstrated a 2-year or greater discrepancy more commonly than females (26 vs. 17%). In males, 2-year discrepancies were equally likely across chronologic ages (P = 0.82). Conclusions Current American adolescents are significantly more mature by skeletal age, as determined by the Greulich and Pyle method, than their chronological age would suggest. The skeletal ages of females are most likely to markedly exceed chronologic age between the ages of 12-15 years.

Do Secular Trends in Skeletal Maturity Occur Equally in Both Sexes?

“…Previous work by other researchers has shown evidence for a secular trend for earlier overall skeletal maturation in recent cohorts [3,17,21]. Our data support these studies because we too observe a secular trend toward earlier skeletal maturity in the Fels Longitudinal Study cohort.…”

“…A secular trend toward accelerated skeletal maturation has been observed in boys and girls in the United States [3], Australia [17,21], and Portugal [6]. Speculations of the origins of such a trend include rapidly changing environmental factors such as chemical exposure [2,4,26] and dietary shifts and a concomitant trend for increased adiposity in children [13].…”

Defining Ulnar Variance in the Adolescent Wrist: Measurement Technique and Interobserver Reliability

“…The 138 standardized wrist radiographs represented the maximum number available from another investigation of skeletal maturation in the adolescent. 10 We performed a post hoc assessment of power to evaluate our ability to detect a difference in mean variance of 1.0 mm between any 2 groups analyzed in this study (␤ϭ0.08, ␣ϭ0.05). We chose 1 mm as the smallest clinically significant difference for analysis.…”

Métodos baseados em Atlas ou TW3? Estimativa da idade óssea em brasileiros

“…8,10,21,22 Estudos têm observado diferenças entre a IC e a IO calculada, sugerindo que as mesmas se produzem pelas variações no ritmo e velocidade de maturação esquelética da população em estudo com a utilizada na padronização do mesmo. 12,[23][24][25][26] Conforme os resultados, observou-se que as idades ósseas estimadas pelo método de GP foram adiantadas com respeito à IC no sexo feminino, para o sexo masculino se constatou o atraso da IO, esta variação entre os sexos também foi reportada por Haiter-Neto et al 10 26 (2012). Em contraste, outros autores têm encontrado uma subestimativa da idade para ambos os sexos.…”