Determination of Skeletal Age in Nigerian Children: Applicability of the Greulich and Pyle Atlas

The maturation of a child's bones as it grows to adulthood can be viewed radiological. The skeletal age (bone age) is the average age at which a particular stage of bone maturation is achieved. The Greulich and Pyle standard is the commonest method used to assess the skeletal age using the hand and wrist radiograph throughout the world. This atlas was composed solely from Caucasian children and made use of the orderly sequence of carpal ossification to determine the skeletal age. Several authors have faulted this at/as for not being suitable for other races. The aim of this study is to determine if the Greulich and Pyle At/as is applicable to Nigerian children when compared to their chronological ages. The total number of 78 normal radiographs of the hand and wrist of Nigerian children were used for this study from several hospitals. These radiographs were compared with the atlas and their skeletal ages noted from the atlas. The child's chronological age in each was also recorded. The result shows a mean increase of two months in the skeletal ages of the Nigerian children compared to the at/as. This difference however was not significant. The skeletal age (in months) was greater in 77% of the children than the expected age in the atlas. The mean skeletal age of Nigerian children though more than the standard in the atlas is not statistically Significant, as a result the study finds the radiographic atlas of Greulich and Pyle atlas applicable to Nigerian children.

Key Words: S k e l e t a l A g e , G r e u l i c h a n d P y l e Chronological Age. A t l a s , R a d i o l o g r a p h , O s s i f i c a t i o n