Skeletal age assessment in children using an open compact MRI system

• Published in: Magnetic resonance in medicine Vol. 69; no. 6; pp. 1697 - 1702
• Main Authors: Terada, Yasuhiko, Kono, Saki, Tamada, Daiki, Uchiumi, Tomomi, Kose, Katsumi, Miyagi, Ryo, Yamabe, Eiko, Yoshioka, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.06.2013; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age Determination by Skeleton - instrumentation; Age Determination by Skeleton - methods; Aging - pathology; Aging - physiology; Child; Child, Preschool; Equipment Design; Equipment Failure Analysis; Female; Hand Bones - anatomy & histology; Hand Bones - growth & development; Humans; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; imaging technique; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Miniaturization; Observer Variation; open compact MRI; pediatrics; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; skeletal age assessment
• ISSN: 0740-3194; 1522-2594
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.24439

MRI may be a noninvasive and alternative tool for skeletal age assessment in children, although few studies have reported on this topic. In this article, skeletal age was assessed over a wide range of ages using an open, compact MRI optimized for the imaging of a child's hand and wrist, and its validity was evaluated. MR images and their three‐dimensional segmentation visualized detailed skeletal features of each bone in the hand and wrist. Skeletal age was then independently scored from the MR images by two raters, according to the Tanner–Whitehouse Japan system. The skeletal age assessed by MR rating demonstrated a strong positive correlation with chronological age. The intrarater and inter‐rater reproducibilities were significantly high. These results demonstrate the validity and reliability of skeletal age assessment using MRI. Magn Reson Med, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.