title: Role of growth hormone in enchondroplasia and chondral osteogenesis: evaluation by X-ray of the hand.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The process of growth and maturation of long (radius and ulna) and short (metacarpals and phalanges) bones of the hand (enchondroplasia) differs from that of the carpal cuboid bones (chondral osteogenesis). This study aimed to assess the impact of growth hormone (GH) on these two processes of bone maturation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects of the study were 95 prepubertal children: 30 children with GH deficiency and 65 children with idiopathic short stature, aged 7.4 ± 1.9 y (mean ± SD) (trial registration number 98-0198-033). Bone maturation was assessed by the Greulich and Pyle method from X-rays obtained at the start and at 1 and 2 y of GH treatment, separately for carpals, long bones, and short bones, and was expressed as years of delay relative to chronological age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At GH start, the delay in bone maturation in the GH-deficient group was significantly greater for carpals (3.6 ± 1.3 y) than for long (3.0 ± 1.3 y) and short (1.7 ± 1.1 y) bones. The delay was nonsignificantly greater for carpal bones in GH-deficient subjects than in subjects with idiopathic short stature (3.6 ± 1.3 vs. 3.1 ± 1.1 y, respectively) and was normalized after 2 y of GH treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The dominant effect of GH was on chondral osteogenesis, with milder effect on enchondroplasia. A distinct delay in carpal and long-bone maturation, which normalizes during 2 y of GH treatment, was typical in GH-deficient children. Therefore, separate carpal bone assessment in bone age reading is needed.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics, Western Galilee Hospital Naharia and the Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel.
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Even
authors.affiliation: Göteborg Pediatric Growth Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science, Pediatrics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Berit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kriström
authors.affiliation: Göteborg Pediatric Growth Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Albertsson-Wikland
authors.affiliation: Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Ze'ev
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hochberg
mesh_terms: D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton; D001846:Bone Development; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006225:Hand / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010012:Osteogenesis; D011859:Radiography; D014965:X-Rays
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone