Assessment of measurement of children's bone age ultrasonically with Sunlight BonAge

Abstract

In this study we measured bone age ultrasonically with Sunlight BonAge (SBA) and report the results of comparisons with radiographs. The subjects were 37 children, who examined at the Pediatric Department of Dokkyo University Hospital, for whom it was thought necessary to measure bone age because of suspicions of body height and pubertal abnormalities. The measurements of bone age were made with SBA during examinations in the outpatient department. In addition, one experienced physician interpreted bone age by the Japanese standard TW2 method (RUS method) and the CASMAS from radiographs taken of their left hands. The results of SBA and TW2 (RUS), and SBA and CASMAS estimations correlated well (r=0.89, r=0.85). The inter-measurer error and inter-measurement error were 0.54 ± 0.36 yr and 0.51 ± 0.42 yr, respectively. SBA calculates bone maturity by an algorithm based on measurements of the width (distance) and speed of sound (SOS) in bones in the wrist. The results of this study show good correlations between the data obtained by SBA and both the RUS method and the CASMAS method. The SBA ultrasound-based skeletal development measurement device is non-invasive, quick and accurate at assessing the bone age of children aged 5 to 15 yr old. Copyright© 2005 by The Japanese Society for Pediatric Endocrinology.