title: Pubertal disorders and bone maturation.
abstract: Bone age (BA) indicates more clearly than chronologic age how far an individual has progressed toward full maturity, and predicts the potential for further growth. Single or serial skeletal age estimations help to confirm the diagnosis of normal puberty and normal pubertal variants such as constitutional delay of growth and puberty, premature therlache, and precocious adrenarche. BA can aid in the clinical workup of children whose sexual maturation is early or delayed. Although BA is considered a qualitative rather than quantitative measure, it serves to round out the clinical picture, providing information without which diagnosis could not be achieved.
authors.affiliation: The Jesse Z and Sara Lea Shafer Institute for Endocrinology and Diabetes, National Center for Childhood Diabetes, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva 49202, Israel.
authors.forename: Liora
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lazar
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Phillip
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development / Q000502:physiology; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology; D001846:Bone Development / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D004838:Epiphyses / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000819:agonists / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011627:Puberty / Q000502:physiology*; D011628:Puberty, Delayed / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011629:Puberty, Precocious / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; C083781:LHRH, Ala(6)-Gly(10)-ethylamide-; D013006:Growth Hormone