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Updated: Jul 11, 2026
07:56
Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Graphic representation of skeletal maturity determinations
M Ines Boechat1, David Choen Lee
1Department of Radiological Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, 650 S Charles E. Young Dr., CHS B2-252, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1721, USA. iboechat@mednet.ucla.edu
AJR. American Journal of Roentgenology
|September 22, 2007
Summary
New computer-generated charts offer a better way to track skeletal maturation over time. These sex-based tools help visualize changes and pinpoint developmental progress more effectively.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric endocrinology
- Orthodontics
- Radiology
Background:
- Skeletal maturation assessments are typically numerical, comparing a child's bone age to their chronological age.
- Current methods may miss significant maturation changes if they fall within two standard deviations (SDs).
- Frequent skeletal assessments are crucial in monitoring growth and development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop user-friendly, computer-generated, sex-specific charts for evaluating skeletal maturation.
- To improve the detection of subtle yet significant changes in skeletal development.
- To aid clinicians in interpreting serial skeletal maturation assessments.
Main Methods:
- Design of computer algorithms to generate sex-based skeletal maturation charts.
- Inclusion of standard deviation (SD) score calculations within the charting system.
- Focus on graphical representation of serial data points.
Main Results:
- The developed charts provide a clear visual representation of skeletal maturation trends.
- Successive data points on the charts show whether values maintain their relative position to the mean.
- The system facilitates the calculation of precise SD scores for each assessment.
Conclusions:
- Graphic representation of skeletal maturation data enhances the interpretation of serial assessments.
- The charts effectively highlight changes in skeletal maturation relative to normative data.
- This method offers a more sensitive approach to evaluating skeletal development, especially with frequent monitoring.
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