title: Evaluation of activity of epiphyseal plates in growing males and females.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, 135 Nan Shiao Street, Changhua, Taiwan, 500. 7005@cch.org.tw
authors.forename: K-T A
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate