title: Skeletal age estimation in leg length discrepancy.
abstract: Sixty hand radiographs of children with known leg length discrepancy were reported independently in a "blind" manner by four radiologists using the Greulich and Pyle Atlas. Significant variation was found. Fifty percent of the children were assigned a skeletal age that differed by more than 1 year between radiologists; 10% varied by more than 2 years (p less than 0.05). Female skeletal age was considerably underestimated by an average of 11 months. Skeletal age estimation is one source of error in the timing of surgery for leg length equalization, especially when a single estimate is used. Skeletal age also appears to be more variable in children with leg length discrepancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Adelaide Children's Hospital, Australia.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cundy
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paterson
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Foster
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007870:Leg Length Inequality / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors