ESTIMATION OF SKELETAL AGE BY GREULICH-PYLE METHOD IN HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS

Muhammad Awais; Khadija Nuzhat Humayun; Naila Nadeem; Abdul Rehman; Yousef Husen; Noman Khan; Kamal Uddin Kasi

ESTIMATION OF SKELETAL AGE BY GREULICH-PYLE METHOD IN HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS

Muhammad Awais, Khadija Nuzhat Humayun, Naila Nadeem, Abdul Rehman, Yousef Husen, Noman Khan, Kamal Uddin Kasi

Abstract

Objective: To assess the Greulich-Pyle method for the determination of skeletal age in healthy adolescents in Karachi using legal document as gold standard proof of the chronologic age.

Design: Cross-sectional study

Methodology: After obtaining approval from the institutional ethics review committee, a convenience sample of healthy boys and girls was recruited from public schools in Karachi, Pakistan. Plain radiographs of wrist and hand were acquired for determination of bone age using Greulich-Pyle atlas. All plain films were interpreted by two experienced radiologists, who were blinded to the actual age of the subjects. Legal documents (that is birth certificate) was used as gold standard for the proof of the chronological age.

Results: Ninety-nine subjects (52 boys and 47 girls) were included in the study with a median age of 14.1 years. The median bone age estimated by Greulich-Pyle method for the whole sample was 15 years, which was not significantly different (p>0.05) from the median chronologic age. However, median bone age estimated for girls under the age of 13 years was significantly different from the median chronologic age (p<0.01).

Conclusion: Our study revealed significant discrepancies between chronologic age and bone age in adolescents as estimated by the Greulich-Pyle method.

Keywords: Skeletal age; bone age; chronologic age; Greulich-Pyle method.

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References

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