title: Skeletal age assessment in children using an open compact MRI system.
abstract: MRI may be a noninvasive and alternative tool for skeletal age assessment in children, although few studies have reported on this topic. In this article, skeletal age was assessed over a wide range of ages using an open, compact MRI optimized for the imaging of a child's hand and wrist, and its validity was evaluated. MR images and their three-dimensional segmentation visualized detailed skeletal features of each bone in the hand and wrist. Skeletal age was then independently scored from the MR images by two raters, according to the Tanner-Whitehouse Japan system. The skeletal age assessed by MR rating demonstrated a strong positive correlation with chronological age. The intrarater and inter-rater reproducibilities were significantly high. These results demonstrate the validity and reliability of skeletal age assessment using MRI.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. terada@bk.tsukuba.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Terada
authors.forename: Saki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kono
authors.forename: Daiki
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tamada
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uchiumi
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kose
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miyagi
authors.forename: Eiko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yamabe
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshioka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005260:Female; D050276:Hand Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008904:Miniaturization; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity