New model for cervical vertebral bone age estimation in boys

The objective of this study was to test the validity of a newly developed statistical model in establishing the cervical vertebral bone age in growing children. The sample of the study consisted of lateral cephalometric and hand-wrist radiographs of 122 Saudi male children. Subjects were divided based on their chronological age into six groups: 10–15 years. The metric dimensions of the vertebral body of the third and fourth cervical vertebrae were measured from the lateral cephalometric radiographs and a statistical model was developed through a stepwise multiple regression analysis to calculate the cervical vertebral bone age. The validity of the statistical model was assessed against the bone age and skeletal age determined from the hand-wrist radiographs using the Tanner–Whitehouse 3 method and the Greulich and Pyle atlas method. No significant (P < 0.05) difference and high correlation were found between the calculated cervical vertebral bone age and the bone/skeletal age established by the hand-wrist methods. No significant (P < 0.05) difference and high correlation were demonstrated between the calculated cervical vertebral bone age and the chronological age. The results of this study indicate that the established statistical formula for cervical vertebral bone age calculation is useful in determining the skeletal maturation in growing children as the other well-established hand-wrist methods.