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Racial differences in growth patterns of children assessed on the basis of bone age

Aifeng Zhang1, James W Sayre, Linda Vachon

  • 1Image Processing and Informatics Lab, Department of Radiology, University of Southern California, 1450 San Pablo St, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, CA 90292, USA. aifengz@gmail.com

Radiology
|October 29, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Racial differences in skeletal growth patterns exist among children. The Greulich and Pyle atlas may overestimate bone age in Asian and Hispanic children, suggesting ethnicity should be considered for accurate assessment.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric radiology
  • Skeletal development
  • Anthropometry

Background:

  • The Greulich and Pyle atlas is a standard method for assessing bone age.
  • Existing data may not fully represent diverse pediatric populations.
  • Racial and ethnic variations in skeletal maturation are not well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To create a digital hand atlas (DHA) with current data from healthy children.
  • To evaluate racial differences in skeletal growth patterns using the DHA.
  • To compare growth patterns of Asian, African American, white, and Hispanic children in the US.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study of 1390 hand and wrist radiographs from children aged 1 day to 18 years.
  • Radiographs from diverse ethnic groups (Asian, African American, white, Hispanic) were analyzed.
  • Two pediatric radiologists independently assessed bone age using the Greulich and Pyle atlas method.

Main Results:

  • Bone age was significantly overestimated in Asian and Hispanic children compared to white and African American children.
  • This suggests earlier skeletal maturation in Asian and Hispanic youth.
  • Observed differences were notable in girls aged 10-13 and boys aged 11-15 years.

Conclusions:

  • Significant ethnic and racial differences in skeletal growth patterns are present at specific ages.
  • The current Greulich and Pyle atlas does not account for these variations.
  • Incorporating ethnicity into bone age assessment can improve accuracy.
Abstract

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