What is bone age assessment?
Disease description:
My child is shorter than other children of the same age. A friend suggested that I have a bone age assessment done. What is a bone age assessment?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Xu Shuai
Bone age assessment is a method used to evaluate the skeletal development of an individual in order to determine their skeletal age. The following are the main points regarding bone age assessment:
1. Definition: Bone age, also known as skeletal age, is determined by observing specific images of the bones on X-ray films.
2. Assessment methods: Commonly used bone age assessment methods include simple counting method, atlas method, scoring method, and computerized bone age scoring systems. Among these, the G-P atlas method and TW2 (TW3) scoring method are the most widely used.
3. Applications: Bone age assessment has significant value in predicting the age at menarche, predicting adult height, and diagnosing pediatric endocrine disorders.
