Evaluation of skeletal age based on Greulich-Pyle method in Tehran

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Radiology
• Anthropometry

Background:

• Bone age assessment is crucial for evaluating child growth and development.
• Skeletal maturation can exhibit variations across different populations.
• The Greulich-Pyle (GP) method is a widely used standard for bone age estimation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare bone age with chronological age in Iranian children aged 2-18 years.
• To evaluate the reliability of the Greulich-Pyle (GP) method for Iranian children.
• To investigate the influence of Body Mass Index (BMI) on bone age discrepancies.

Main Methods:

• Standard left hand radiographs were obtained from 40 healthy Iranian children.
• Bone age was determined using the Greulich-Pyle (GP) method.
• Chronological age and BMI were recorded for comparison.

Main Results:

• Bone ages were generally delayed in Iranian boys compared to chronological age, with significant variations across different age and BMI groups.
• Iranian girls showed less pronounced bone age delays, with some advancement noted in the underweight BMI category.
• Specific age groups (e.g., 6-9.99 years) and BMI levels (e.g., <18.5 for females) exhibited notable deviations from the GP standards.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that the Greulich-Pyle (GP) method may not be entirely reliable for bone age assessment in Iranian children due to observed differences in skeletal maturation.
• Iranian boys, in particular, appear to have a distinct bone growth pattern compared to the GP standards.
• Further research is recommended to refine bone age assessment tools for diverse ethnic populations, considering factors like BMI and genetics.