Normal development

Abstract

The development of the musculoskeletal system encompasses the embryonic period, fetal development, and the lengthy postnatal period of growth and maturation. This chap-ter emphasizes the growth of the infant, child, and adolescent but briefly reviews key points of prenatal development. Understanding cartilage maturation is key to understanding bone development, as well as imaging of normal development and pathology. After reviewing the process of physeal bone deposition, the chapter presents MRI appearance of cartilage, focusing on the primary and secondary physes. It discusses normal developmental physiologic periostitis of infancy. The chapter concludes by discussing several different systems for establishing skeletal maturity and reviewing for which ages each is most applicable.