title: MRI of the wrist is not recommended for age determination in female football players of U-16/U-17 competitions.
abstract: Age determination on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the wrist is a reliable method in male football players to evaluate their eligibility to participate in Under 17 tournaments. MRI of the wrist was performed in 487 female volunteers aged 13-19 years from Brazil, Germany, Malaysia, and Tanzania, and in 139 female football players participating in Under-16 and Under-17 football tournaments. A previously validated method for grading fusion of the distal radial epiphysis in male adolescent was used. Moderate correlation of chronological age and epiphyseal fusion was found in the normative control group (r = .59) and weak correlation in female football players (r = .27). Complete fusion of the distal radial epiphysis was observed in two 15-year-old volunteers of the control group (1.7%) and in 17.6% (3 of 17) of 14-year-old football players. Up to 10.8% (47 of 437) in the control group and 14.4% (20 of 139) of the football players 17 years or younger had complete fused epiphysis. Because of earlier osseous maturity in female adolescents, the grade of fusion of the distal radial epiphysis on MRI is not recommended for pretournament age determination for the age of 17 and younger in female.
authors.affiliation: Schulthess Clinic, FIFA-Medical Assessment and Research Center (F-MARC), Zurich, Switzerland.|Department of Orthopaedics, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Tscholl
authors.affiliation: Schulthess Clinic, FIFA-Medical Assessment and Research Center (F-MARC), Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Junge
authors.affiliation: Schulthess Clinic, FIFA-Medical Assessment and Research Center (F-MARC), Zurich, Switzerland.|Fédération Internationale de Football Association, Zurich, Switzerland.|Department of Neurology, Schulthess Clinic, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dvorak
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zubler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton / Q000379:methods*; D001938:Brazil; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008296:Malaysia; D011884:Radius / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012916:Soccer; D013636:Tanzania; D014955:Wrist Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
keywords: MRI; bone age; chronological age; epiphysis; fusion; radius