Bilateral Symmetry of Skeletal Maturation in the Human Hand and Wrist

Abstract

In assessing skeletal age it is customary to examine roentgenograms of only one hand and wrist on the assumption that pronounced differences between the two sides are comparatively rare. Although homologous parts of the two sides of the skeleton may show considerable differences in development, the bulk of available evidence supports the thesis that, for all practical purposes, discrepancies between the two sides are too insignificant to constitute a source of error in the determination of skeletal status.1-8 This inference is derived from investigations of the number and size of ossification centers in the hand and wrist, chronological order of appearance of the carpal bones and secondary epiphyses, and detailed measurements of the carpal area.

Bone age estimation: a comparison of methods

“…Of these, 97 (36 girls, 61 boys) were considered suitable for bone age estimation. Radiographs of either hand were considered acceptable for the purpose (Dreizen et al, 1957). The remaining radiographs were rejected for a variety of reasons, but mainly because the epiphyses were all fused, radiographic quality was inadequate, or the whole hand had not been examined.…”

Skeletal maturity in normal children from Liverpool, United Kingdom

“…As most patients had a single radiograph of their hand and wrist, only acrosssectional study could be carried out. As there is no significant difference between the two hands in normal children (Dreizen et al, 1957), radiographs of either hand were studied.…”

Differences in Dental and Bone Maturation in Regions With or Without Hemihypertrophy in Two Patients with Russell-Silver Syndrome

“…Dreizen et al 23 noted the percentage of healthy children in which the skeletal age of the right hand exceeded, equaled, or was less than that of the left, without mentioning the next item in the author's summary, which points out that such differences exceeded 3 months in only 13% of patients and 6 months in only 1.5%. In Patient 1, bone age of the left was less than that of the right (hemihypertrophy) side; while the bone age of the hemihypertrophy side was 11 years, the bone age of the left side was 10 years.…”