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Updated: Jun 26, 2026
06:58
Culturing and Measuring Fetal and Newborn Murine Long Bones
Published on: April 26, 2019
Bone structure at the distal radius during adolescent growth
Salman Kirmani1, David Christen, G Harry van Lenthe
1College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Summary
Adolescent forearm fractures may stem from temporary reductions in cortical bone strength during puberty. This study reveals transient cortical porosity in both sexes, potentially explaining fracture incidence peaks.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Pediatric Bone Health
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Distal forearm fractures are common in adolescents, peaking during growth spurts.
- The underlying structural reasons for this fracture incidence peak remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the age-related changes in distal radius bone structure and strength during puberty.
- To identify potential structural factors contributing to the adolescent peak in distal forearm fractures.
Main Methods:
- High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) was used to assess bone parameters in healthy individuals aged 6–21 years.
- Subjects were grouped by bone age, spanning from pre-puberty to post-puberty.
- Microfinite element analysis modeled total bone strength and load distribution between cortical and trabecular bone.
Main Results:
- Trabecular bone parameters increased in boys from late puberty but remained stable in girls.
- Cortical thickness and density decreased in girls during early puberty before increasing later, while boys showed different patterns.
- Total bone strength increased linearly with bone age in both sexes; boys exhibited greater strength post-midpuberty.
- Cortical bone's load-bearing proportion decreased transiently during mid- to late puberty, coinciding with peak cortical porosity.
Conclusions:
- Transient regional deficits in cortical bone structure during puberty may underlie the increased incidence of distal forearm fractures.
- Further research is needed to determine if these cortical bone deficits are more pronounced in fracture patients or persist into adulthood.
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