Longitudinal bone growth of the human femur

Abstract

A study is presented of the histological structure and growth rate of the growth plate at the distal end of the femur in normal children. From a comparison of quantitative histological information from postmortem specimens with measurements on serial radiographs it is estimated that the distal growth plate contributes about 66% of the total longitudinal growth of the bone. The marked differences between rodent and man indicate that caution is required in extrapolating data from these animals to man.