Evaluation of activity of epiphyseal plates in growing males and females.
To investigate the age-related activity of the epiphyseal plates, a retrospective study of (99m)Tc-methylene diphosphonate bone scans was undertaken. The study comprised 81 males and 46 females aged 2 weeks to 24 years. The total percentage (%) whole-body (ratio of total physis activity to whole-body activity) and the regional % whole-body (ratio of physis activity of one region to whole-body activity) were derived. The ratio of physis activity of one region to the total physis activity was defined as % physis. Before age 12, total physis activity was found to contribute about 10% to whole-body activity. All total and regional % whole-body activities followed sigmoid curves with age. The differences of the parameters (transition centers and widths) suggested that there might be a later and longer period for the disappearance of physis activity in males than in females. For all the regions, % physis changed little with age until after puberty. At age <1, the proportion of bone activity in the body was about 30-35% for skull, 20-25% for lower limbs, and 5-15% for the rest of the regions. The maximal changes during growth occurred in the skull and the lower limbs. The age-related changes of physis activity during growth reflect a combination of the potential of bone to grow and the processes of bone growth and bone turnover. Bone scintigraphy is useful in understanding the changes of physis activity during growth.
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Department of Nuclear Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, 135 Nan Shiao Street, Changhua, Taiwan, 500. 7005@cch.org.tw
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001846:Bone Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D005360:Fibula / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D006132:Growth Plate / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000254:growth & development*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate; D013977:Tibia / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate