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Sariyilmaz K, Abali S, Ziroglu N, Cingoz T, Ozkunt O, Abali ZY, Kalayci CB, Hayretci M, Semiz S. Interdisiplinary and intraobserver reliability of the Greulich-Pyle method among Turkish children. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab 2023; 36:1181-1185. [PMID: 37844258 DOI: 10.1515/jpem-2023-0303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Greulich-Pyle (GP) is one of the most used method for bone age determination (BAD) in various orthopedic, pediatric, radiological, and forensic situations. We aimed to investigate the inter- and intra-observer reliability of the GP method between the most relevant disciplines and its applicability to the Turkish population. METHODS One-hundred and eighty (90 boys, 90 girls) patients with a chronological age younger than 18 (mean 9.33) were included. X-rays mixed by the blinded investigator were evaluated by two orthopedists, two radiologists, and two pediatric endocrinologists to determine skeletal age according to the GP atlas. A month later the process was repeated. As a statistical method, Paired t-test was used for comparison, an Intraclass Correlation Coefficients test was used for reliability and a 95 % confidence interval was determined. Results were classified according to Landis-Koch. RESULTS All results were consistent with chronological age (p<0.001), according to the investigators' evaluations compared with chronological age. At the initial evaluation, the interobserver reliability of the method was 0.999 (excellent); at the second evaluation, the interobserver reliability was 0.997 (excellent). The intra-observer reliability of the method was 'excellent' in all observers. When results were separately evaluated by gender, excellent intraobserver correlation and excellent correlation with chronological age were found among all researchers (>0.9). When X-rays were divided into three groups based on age ranges and evaluated, 'moderate' and 'good' correlations with chronological age were obtained during the peripubertal period. CONCLUSIONS The GP method used in skeletal age determination has excellent inter- and intra-observer reliability. During the peripubertal period, potential discrepancies in bone age assessments should be kept in mind. This method can be used safely and reproducibly by the relevant specialists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerim Sariyilmaz
- Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Saygin Abali
- Department of Pediatric Health and Diseases, Pediatric Endocrinology, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Nezih Ziroglu
- Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Acibadem Atakent Hospital, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Tunca Cingoz
- Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Acibadem Atakent Hospital, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Okan Ozkunt
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Medicine Faculty, Biruni University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Zehra Yavaş Abali
- Department of Pediatric Health and Diseases, Pediatric Endocrinology, Pendik Training and Research Hospital, Marmara University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Cem Burak Kalayci
- Department of Radiology, Acibadem Atakent Hospital, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Merve Hayretci
- Department of Radiology, Acibadem Atakent Hospital, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Serap Semiz
- Department of Pediatric Health and Diseases, Pediatric Endocrinology, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye
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Martín Pérez SE, Martín Pérez IM, Vega González JM, Molina Suárez R, León Hernández C, Rodríguez Hernández F, Herrera Perez M. Precision and Accuracy of Radiological Bone Age Assessment in Children among Different Ethnic Groups: A Systematic Review. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:3124. [PMID: 37835867 PMCID: PMC10572703 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13193124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM The aim was to identify, evaluate, and summarize the findings of relevant individual studies on the precision and accuracy of radiological BA assessment procedures among children from different ethnic groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS A qualitative systematic review was carried out following the MOOSE statement and previously registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023449512). A search was performed in MEDLINE (PubMed) (n = 561), the Cochrane Library (n = 261), CINAHL (n = 103), Web of Science (WOS) (n = 181), and institutional repositories (n = 37) using MeSH and free terms combined with the Booleans "AND" and "OR". NOS and ROBINS-E were used to assess the methodological quality and the risk of bias of the included studies, respectively. RESULTS A total of 51 articles (n = 20,100) on radiological BA assessment procedures were precise in terms of intra-observer and inter-observer reliability for all ethnic groups. In Caucasian and Hispanic children, the Greulich-Pyle Atlas (GPA) was accurate at all ages, but in youths, Tanner-Whitehouse radius-ulna-short bones 3 (TW3-RUS) could be an alternative. In Asian and Arab subjects, GPA and Tanner-Whitehouse 3 (TW3) overestimated the BA in adolescents near adulthood. In African youths, GPA overestimated the BA while TW3 was more accurate. CONCLUSION GPA and TW3 radiological BA assessment procedures are both precise but their accuracy in estimating CA among children of different ethnic groups can be altered by racial bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián Eustaquio Martín Pérez
- Departamento de Farmacología y Medicina Física, Área de Radiología y Medicina Física, Sección de Enfermería y Fisioterapia, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; (I.M.M.P.); (F.R.H.)
- Escuela de Doctorado y Estudios de Posgrado, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, 38203 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- Musculoskeletal Pain and Motor Control Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Canarias, 38300 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- Musculoskeletal Pain and Motor Control Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Villaviciosa de Odón, Spain
| | - Isidro Miguel Martín Pérez
- Departamento de Farmacología y Medicina Física, Área de Radiología y Medicina Física, Sección de Enfermería y Fisioterapia, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; (I.M.M.P.); (F.R.H.)
- Escuela de Doctorado y Estudios de Posgrado, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, 38203 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Jesús María Vega González
- Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 38230 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain;
| | - Ruth Molina Suárez
- Pediatric Endocrinology Unit, Pediatric Department, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, 38320 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain;
| | - Coromoto León Hernández
- Departamento de Ingeniería Informática y de Sistemas, Universidad de La Laguna, Apdo. 456, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, España;
| | - Fidel Rodríguez Hernández
- Departamento de Farmacología y Medicina Física, Área de Radiología y Medicina Física, Sección de Enfermería y Fisioterapia, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; (I.M.M.P.); (F.R.H.)
| | - Mario Herrera Perez
- School of Medicine (Health Sciences), Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain;
- Foot and Ankle Unit, Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Department, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, 38320 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
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Nang KM, Ismail AJ, Tangaperumal A, Wynn AA, Thein TT, Hayati F, Teh YG. Forensic age estimation in living children: how accurate is the Greulich-Pyle method in Sabah, East Malaysia? Front Pediatr 2023; 11:1137960. [PMID: 37397141 PMCID: PMC10308217 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.1137960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The Greulich and Pyle's Radiographic Atlas of Skeletal Development of the Hand and Wrist (GP Atlas) is the most widely used method of determining the bone age (BA) of a child. It is also a widely accepted method for forensic age determination. As there is limited local bone age data for forensic age estimation, the purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of the GP Atlas for forensic age determination in living Sabahan children. Method This study recruited 182 children between the ages of 9 years to 18 years. BA estimation of the left-hand anteroposterior radiographs were performed by two experienced radiologists using the Greulich-Pyle method. Results The BA estimates from two radiologists had very high interobserver reliability (ICC 0.937) and a strong positive interobserver correlation (r > 0.90). The GP method, significantly and consistently underestimated chronological age (CA) by 0.7, 0.6 and 0.7 years in overall children, boys and girls respectively with minimal errors. Mean absolute error and root of mean squared error for overall children was 1.5 and 2.2 years respectively, while mean absolute percentage error was 11.6%. This underestimation was consistent across all age groups but was statistically significant only at 13-13.9 and 17-18.9 years old age groups. Conclusion Despite high interobserver reliability of BA estimation using the GP Atlas, this method consistently underestimates the age of the child in all children to a significant degree, for both boys and girls across all age groups, with an acceptably low level of error metrics. Our findings suggest that locally validated GP Atlas or other type of assessments (artificial intelligence or machine learning) are needed for assessment of BA to accurately predict CA, since current GP Atlas standards significantly underestimated chronological age with minimal error for children in Sabah. A larger population-based study would be necessary for establishing a validated atlas of a bone age in Malaysia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khin Mya Nang
- Department of Pathology & Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Abdul Jabbar Ismail
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | | | - Aye Aye Wynn
- Department of Pathology & Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Tin Tin Thein
- Department of Pathology & Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Firdaus Hayati
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Yong Guang Teh
- Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
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Evaluation of the suitability of the Greulich and Pyle Atlas in estimating age for the Botswana population using hand and wrist radiographs of young Botswana population. FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL: REPORTS 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsir.2023.100312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
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Cheng CF, Liao KYK, Lee KJ, Tsai FJ. A Study to Evaluate Accuracy and Validity of the EFAI Computer-Aided Bone Age Diagnosis System Compared With Qualified Physicians. Front Pediatr 2022; 10:829372. [PMID: 35463905 PMCID: PMC9024098 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2022.829372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Study Objectives In previous research, we built a deep neural network model based on Inception-Resnet-v2 to predict bone age (EFAI-BAA). The primary objective of the study was to determine if the EFAI-BAA was substantially concordant with the qualified physicians in assessing bone ages. The secondary objective of the study was to determine if the EFAI-BAA was no different in the clinical rating (advanced, normal, or delayed) with the qualified physicians. Method This was a retrospective study. The left-hand X-ray images of male subjects aged 3-16 years old and female subjects aged 2-15 years old were collected from China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) and Asia University Hospital (AUH) retrospectively since the trial began until the included image amount reached 368. This was a blinded study. The qualified physicians who ran, read, and interpreted the tests were blinded to the values assessed by the other qualified physicians and the EFAI-BAA. Results The concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) between the EFAI-BAA (EFAI-BAA), the evaluation of bone age by physician in Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital (KVGH), Taichung Veterans General Hospital (TVGH2), and in Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital (TZUCHI-TP) was 0.9828 (95% CI: 0.9790-0.9859, p-value = 0.6782), 0.9739 (95% CI: 0.9681-0.9786, p-value = 0.0202), and 0.9592 (95% CI: 0.9501-0.9666, p-value = 0.4855), respectively. Conclusion There was a consistency of bone age assessment between the EFAI-BAA and each one of the three qualified physicians (CCC = 0.9). As the significant difference in the clinical rating was only found between the EFAI-BAA and the qualified physician in TVGH2, the performance of the EFAI-BAA was considered similar to the qualified physicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Fung Cheng
- Big Data Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung City, Taiwan
| | | | | | - Fuu-Jen Tsai
- Department of Medical Genetics, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung City, Taiwan
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Determination of bone age and evaluating the applicability of Greulich-Pyle standards among the Turkish children. JOURNAL OF SURGERY AND MEDICINE 2022. [DOI: 10.28982/josam.1021045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Dehghani F, Karimian A, Sirous M, Rasti J, Soleymanpour A. Bone Age Assessment of Iranian Children in an Automatic Manner. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SIGNALS & SENSORS 2021; 11:24-30. [PMID: 34026587 PMCID: PMC8043122 DOI: 10.4103/jmss.jmss_9_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Background Bone age assessment (BAA) is a radiological process with the aim of identifying growth disorders in children. The objective of this study is to assess the bone age of Iranian children in an automatic manner. Methods In this context, three computer vision techniques including histogram of oriented gradients (HOG), local binary pattern (LBP), and scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) are applied to extract appropriate features from the carpal and epiphyseal regions of interest. Two different datasets are applied here: the University of Southern California hand atlas for training this computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system and Iranian radiographs for evaluating the performance of this system for BAA of Iranian children. In this study, the concatenation of HOG, LBP, and dense SIFT feature vectors and background subtraction are applied to improve the performance of this approach. Support vector machine (SVM) and K-nearest neighbor are used here for classification and the better results yielded by SVM. Results The accuracy of female radiographs is 90% and of male is 71.42%. The mean absolute error is 0.16 and 0.42 years for female and male test radiographs, respectively. Cohen's kappa coefficients are 0.86 and 0.6, P < 0.05, for female and male radiographs, respectively. The results indicate that this proposed approach is in substantial agreement with the bone age reported by the experienced radiologist. Conclusion This approach is easy to implement and reliable, thus qualified for CAD and automatic BAA of Iranian children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzaneh Dehghani
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Alireza Karimian
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mehri Sirous
- Department of Radiology, AL-Zahra Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Javad Rasti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Ali Soleymanpour
- Legal Medicine Research Center, Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran
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Houston J, Chiang A, Haleem S, Bernard J, Bishop T, Lui DF. Reproducibility and reliability analysis of the Luk Distal Radius and Ulna Classification for European patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. J Child Orthop 2021; 15:166-170. [PMID: 34040663 PMCID: PMC8138788 DOI: 10.1302/1863-2548.15.200251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Current clinical and radiological methods of predicting a patient's growth potential are limited in terms of practicality, accuracy and known to differ in different races. This information influences optimal timing of bracing and surgical intervention in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The Luk classification was developed to mitigate limitations of existing tools. Few reliability studies are available and are limited to certain geographical regions with varying results. This study was performed to analyze reproducibility and reliability of the Luk Distal Radius and Ulna Classification in European patients. METHODS This is a radiological study of 50 randomly selected left hand and wrist radiographs of patients with AIS referred to a tertiary referral centre. They were assessed for bone maturity using the Luk Distal Radius and Ulna Classification. Assessment was performed twice by four examiners at an interval of one month. Statistical analysis was performed using the intraclass correlation (ICC) method to determine the reliabilities within and between the examiners. RESULTS In total, 50 radiographs (M:F = 13:37) with a mean age of 13.7 years (10 to 18) were assessed for reliability. The inter-rater ICC value was 0.918 for radius assessment and 0.939 for ulna assessment. The intra-rater ICC values for radius assessment ranged between 0.897 and 0.769 and between 0.948 and 0.786 for ulna assessment. There was near perfect correlation for both assessments. CONCLUSION This study provides independent evidence that the Luk Distal Radius and Ulna Classification is a reliable tool for assessment of skeletal maturity for European patients. Minimal clinical experience is required to reliably utilize it. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Houston
- St Georges University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Amy Chiang
- St George’s Hospital Medical School, University of London, London, UK
| | - Shahnawaz Haleem
- Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, The Woodlands, Bristol Rd South, Birmingham, UK,Correspondence should be sent to Shahnawaz Haleem, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, The Woodlands, Bristol Road South, Northfield, Birmingham, B31 2AP, UK. E-mail:
| | - Jason Bernard
- St Georges University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Timothy Bishop
- St Georges University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Darren F. Lui
- St Georges University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
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Cavallo F, Mohn A, Chiarelli F, Giannini C. Evaluation of Bone Age in Children: A Mini-Review. Front Pediatr 2021; 9:580314. [PMID: 33777857 PMCID: PMC7994346 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2021.580314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bone age represents a common index utilized in pediatric radiology and endocrinology departments worldwide for the definition of skeletal maturity for medical and non-medical purpose. It is defined by the age expressed in years that corresponds to the level of maturation of bones. Although several bones have been studied to better define bone age, the hand and wrist X-rays are the most used images. In fact, the images obtained by hand and wrist X-ray reflect the maturity of different types of bones of the skeletal segment evaluated. This information, associated to the characterization of the shape and changes of bone components configuration, represent an important factor of the biological maturation process of a subject. Bone age may be affected by several factors, including gender, nutrition, as well as metabolic, genetic, and social factors and either acute and chronic pathologies especially hormone alteration. As well several differences can be characterized according to the numerous standardized methods developed over the past decades. Therefore, the complete characterization of the main methods and procedure available and particularly of all their advantages and disadvantages need to be known in order to properly utilized this information for all its medical and non-medical main fields of application.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Cosimo Giannini
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
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Dehghani F, Karimian A, Sirous M. Assessing the Bone Age of Children in an Automatic Manner Newborn to 18 Years Range. J Digit Imaging 2020; 33:399-407. [PMID: 31388865 PMCID: PMC7165206 DOI: 10.1007/s10278-019-00209-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bone age assessment (BAA) is a radiological process to identify the growth disorders in children. Although this is a frequent task for radiologists, it is cumbersome. The objective of this study is to assess the bone age of children from newborn to 18 years old in an automatic manner through computer vision methods including histogram of oriented gradients (HOG), local binary pattern (LBP), and scale invariant feature transform (SIFT). Here, 442 left-hand radiographs are applied from the University of Southern California (USC) hand atlas. In this experiment, for the first time, HOG-LBP-dense SIFT features with background subtraction are applied to assess the bone age of the subject group. For this purpose, features are extracted from the carpal and epiphyseal regions of interest (ROIs). The SVM and 5-fold cross-validation are used for classification. The accuracy of female radiographs is 73.88% and of the male is 68.63%. The mean absolute error is 0.5 years for both genders' radiographs. The accuracy a within 1-year range is 95.32% for female and 96.51% for male radiographs. The accuracy within a 2-year range is 100% and 99.41% for female and male radiographs, respectively. The Cohen's kappa statistical test reveals that this proposed approach, Cohen's kappa coefficients are 0.71 for female and 0.66 for male radiographs, p value < 0.05, is in substantial agreement with the bone age assessed by experienced radiologists within the USC dataset. This approach is robust and easy to implement, thus, qualified for computer-aided diagnosis (CAD). The reduced processing time and number of ROIs facilitate BAA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzaneh Dehghani
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Alireza Karimian
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mehri Sirous
- Department of Radiology, AL-Zahra Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Science, Isfahan, Iran
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Booz C, Yel I, Wichmann JL, Boettger S, Al Kamali A, Albrecht MH, Martin SS, Lenga L, Huizinga NA, D'Angelo T, Cavallaro M, Vogl TJ, Bodelle B. Artificial intelligence in bone age assessment: accuracy and efficiency of a novel fully automated algorithm compared to the Greulich-Pyle method. Eur Radiol Exp 2020; 4:6. [PMID: 31993795 PMCID: PMC6987270 DOI: 10.1186/s41747-019-0139-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bone age (BA) assessment performed by artificial intelligence (AI) is of growing interest due to improved accuracy, precision and time efficiency in daily routine. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy and efficiency of a novel AI software version for automated BA assessment in comparison to the Greulich-Pyle method. Methods Radiographs of 514 patients were analysed in this retrospective study. Total BA was assessed independently by three blinded radiologists applying the GP method and by the AI software. Overall and gender-specific BA assessment results, as well as reading times of both approaches, were compared, while the reference BA was defined by two blinded experienced paediatric radiologists in consensus by application of the Greulich-Pyle method. Results Mean absolute deviation (MAD) and root mean square deviation (RSMD) were significantly lower between AI-derived BA and reference BA (MAD 0.34 years, RSMD 0.38 years) than between reader-calculated BA and reference BA (MAD 0.79 years, RSMD 0.89 years; p < 0.001). The correlation between AI-derived BA and reference BA (r = 0.99) was significantly higher than between reader-calculated BA and reference BA (r = 0.90; p < 0.001). No statistical difference was found in reader agreement and correlation analyses regarding gender (p = 0.241). Mean reading times were reduced by 87% using the AI system. Conclusions A novel AI software enabled highly accurate automated BA assessment. It may improve efficiency in clinical routine by reducing reading times without compromising the accuracy compared with the Greulich-Pyle method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Booz
- Division of Experimental Imaging, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Ibrahim Yel
- Division of Experimental Imaging, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Julian L Wichmann
- Division of Experimental Imaging, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sabine Boettger
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ahmed Al Kamali
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Moritz H Albrecht
- Division of Experimental Imaging, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Simon S Martin
- Division of Experimental Imaging, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Lukas Lenga
- Division of Experimental Imaging, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Nicole A Huizinga
- Interdisciplinary Center for Neuroscience, Goethe-University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Tommaso D'Angelo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Marco Cavallaro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Thomas J Vogl
- Division of Experimental Imaging, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Boris Bodelle
- Division of Experimental Imaging, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Alshamrani K, Messina F, Offiah AC. Is the Greulich and Pyle atlas applicable to all ethnicities? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Radiol 2019; 29:2910-2923. [PMID: 30617474 PMCID: PMC6510872 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-018-5792-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine whether the Greulich and Pyle (G&P) atlas is applicable when applied to populations of different ethnicity. METHODS A systematic review of studies published between 1959 and 15th February 2017 identified from the Embase, MEDLINE and Cochrane databases was undertaken. Quality of the studies was assessed using the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence tool. Meta-analysis used mean differences and standard deviations as summary statistics for the difference between bone age (BA) and chronological age (CA). RESULTS A total of 49 studies were included of which 27 (55%) were related to Caucasian populations. Of the 49 eligible studies, 35 were appropriate for further meta-analysis. In African females, meta-analysis showed a significant mean difference between BA and CA of 0.37 years (95% CI 0.04, 0.69). In Asian males, meta-analysis showed significant differences between BA and CA of -1.08, -1.35, -1.07, -0.80 and 0.50 years for chronological ages of 6, 7, 8, 9 and 17 years, respectively. Meta-analysis showed no significant differences between BA and CA in African males, Asian females, Caucasians and Hispanics. CONCLUSIONS The G&P standard is imprecise and should be used with caution when applied to Asian male and African female populations, particularly when aiming to determine chronological age for forensic/legal purposes. KEY POINTS • In African females, bone age is significantly advanced when compared to the G&P standard. • In Asian males, bone age is significantly delayed between 6 and 9 years old inclusive and significantly advanced at 17 years old when compared to the G&P standard. • The G&P atlas should be used with caution when applied to Asian and African populations, particularly when aiming to determine chronological age for forensic/legal purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khalaf Alshamrani
- Department of Oncology & Metabolism, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
- College of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia.
- Academic Unit of Child Health, Damer Street Building, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TH, UK.
| | - Fabrizio Messina
- School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Amaka C Offiah
- Department of Oncology & Metabolism, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Academic Unit of Child Health, Damer Street Building, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TH, UK
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Lo Re G, Zerbo S, Terranova MC, Pardo S, Midiri F, Argo A, Caruso G, Salerno S. Role of Imaging in the Assessment of Age Estimation. Semin Ultrasound CT MR 2019; 40:51-55. [DOI: 10.1053/j.sult.2018.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Evaluation of a Computer-Aided Diagnosis System for Automated Bone Age Assessment in Comparison to the Greulich-Pyle Atlas Method: A Multireader Study. J Comput Assist Tomogr 2018; 43:39-45. [PMID: 30119064 DOI: 10.1097/rct.0000000000000786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate a novel version of a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system developed for automated bone age (BA) assessment in comparison to the Greulich and Pyle method, regarding its accuracy and the influence of carpal bones on BA assessment. METHODS Total BA, BA of the left distal radius, and BA of carpal bones in 305 patients were determined independently by 3 blinded radiologists and assessed by the CAD system. Pearson product-moment correlation, Bland-Altman plot, root-mean-square deviation, and further agreement analyses were computed. RESULTS Mean total BA and BA of the distal radius showed high correlation between both approaches (r = 0.985 and r = 0.963). There was significantly higher correlation between values of total BA and BA of the distal radius (r = 0.969) compared with values of total BA and BA of carpal bones (r = 0.923). The assessment of carpal bones showed significantly lower interreader agreement compared with measurements of the distal radius (κ = 0.79 vs κ = 0.98). CONCLUSION A novel version of a CAD system enables highly accurate automated BA assessment. The assessment of carpal bones revealed lower precision and interreader agreement. Therefore, methods determining BA without analyzing carpal bones may be more precise and accurate.
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Govender D, Goodier M. Bone of contention: The applicability of the Greulich-Pyle method for skeletal age assessment in South Africa. SA J Radiol 2018; 22:1348. [PMID: 31754503 PMCID: PMC6837818 DOI: 10.4102/sajr.v22i1.1348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Greulich–Pyle (GP) method is one of the most commonly used radiographic techniques for skeletal age (SA) determination. The applicability of this method for populations outside of the United States has been questioned and this has been investigated in several recent studies around the world. Only limited data are available on the accuracy of the GP method for a South African population. Objective To determine the accuracy and reliability of the GP method in a population from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Method A retrospective study was performed using a digital database consisting of 102 hand-wrist radiographs. The SA was estimated by two readers with different levels of experience, using the GP method. Differences between estimated SA and chronological age (CA) were analysed. Results Skeletal age determined with the GP method was found to significantly differ from CA. For the population as a whole, the GP method underestimated age. The greatest mean underestimation between SA and CA was 11.5 ± 17 months and 7.4 ± 13.2 months for the 10.1 to 15 year age groups in male and female patients, respectively. The method was found to have excellent inter- and intra-observer reliability. Conclusion The GP method generally significantly underestimates age for both genders. Overestimation is also possible with individuals as young as 16 years old found by the method to be skeletally mature. Until new SA assessment tools are developed for South Africa, use of supplementary means of determination of SA should be considered, especially in medico-legal cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dashnee Govender
- Department of Radiology, Grey's Hospital, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| | - Matthew Goodier
- Department of Radiology, Grey's Hospital, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
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A critical review of sub-adult age estimation in biological anthropology: Do methods comply with published recommendations? Forensic Sci Int 2018; 288:328.e1-328.e9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Maggio A, Flavel A, Hart R, Franklin D. Assessment of the accuracy of the Greulich and Pyle hand-wrist atlas for age estimation in a contemporary Australian population. AUST J FORENSIC SCI 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/00450618.2016.1251970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ariane Maggio
- Centre for Forensic Anthropology, School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Ambika Flavel
- Centre for Forensic Anthropology, School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Rob Hart
- Centre for Forensic Anthropology, School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Daniel Franklin
- Centre for Forensic Anthropology, School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
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Assessment of the 2D:4D ratio in aggression-related injuries in children attending a paediatric emergency department. Ir J Med Sci 2016; 186:441-445. [PMID: 27804078 DOI: 10.1007/s11845-016-1524-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/22/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The 2D:4D ratio is a sexually dimorphic trait. A lower ratio is correlated with sporting prowess, successful financial trading, risk taking behaviour, aggression, and aggression-related injuries, such as the fifth metacarpal fractures. AIMS We aimed to assess if the ratio correlates to skeletally immature patient aggression. METHODS Radiology reports were searched for the terms "5th metacarpal" or "boxer". Of 537 X-rays, 142 had fractures. The mechanism of injury was recorded in 102 patients, differentiating aggressive and non-aggressive injury groups. Bone age and chronological age were recorded. RESULTS A clear male preponderance for aggression was identified with only 60% of non-aggressive injuries occurring in males compared to 95% in the aggression group (p < 0.001). Patients with aggression injuries were older chronologically (14.6 vs 12.7, p < 0.001) and by bone age (14.5 vs 13.0, p < 0.001). For male patients, there was no difference in the 2D:4D ratio (p = 0.94); however, for females, the difference was significant (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS Aggression injuries occur at an older age and are more common in males. In the female cohort, there was a distinct difference in digit ratio.
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Forensic use of the Greulich and Pyle atlas: prediction intervals and relevance. Eur Radiol 2016; 27:1032-1043. [DOI: 10.1007/s00330-016-4466-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Revised: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Sypek SA, Benson J, Spanner KA, Williams JL. A holistic approach to age estimation in refugee children. J Paediatr Child Health 2016; 52:614-20. [PMID: 27333847 DOI: 10.1111/jpc.13174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
AIM Many refugee children arriving in Australia have an inaccurately documented date of birth (DOB). A medical assessment of a child's age is often requested when there is a concern that their documented DOB is incorrect. This study's aim was to assess the accuracy a holistic age assessment tool (AAT) in estimating the age of refugee children newly settled in Australia. METHODS A holistic AAT that combines medical and non-medical approaches was used to estimate the ages of 60 refugee children with a known DOB. The tool used four components to assess age: an oral narrative, developmental assessment, anthropometric measures and pubertal assessment. Assessors were blinded to the true age of the child. Correlation coefficients for the actual and estimated age were calculated for the tool overall and individual components. RESULTS The correlation coefficient between the actual and estimated age from the AAT was very strong at 0.9802 (boys 0.9748, girls 0.9876). The oral narrative component of the tool performed best (R = 0.9603). Overall, 86.7% of age estimates were within 1 year of the true age. The range of differences was -1.43 to 3.92 years with a standard deviation of 0.77 years (9.24 months). CONCLUSIONS The AAT is a holistic, simple and safe instrument that can be used to estimate age in refugee children with results comparable with radiological methods currently used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott A Sypek
- Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, 5006, Australia.,University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia
| | - Jill Benson
- University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia
| | - Kate A Spanner
- Migrant Health Service, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Jan L Williams
- Migrant Health Service, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Öztürk F, Karataş OH, Mutaf HI, Babacan H. Bone age assessment: comparison of children from two different regions with the Greulich–Pyle method In Turkey. AUST J FORENSIC SCI 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/00450618.2015.1119311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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22
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Hajalioghli P, Tarzamni MK, Arami S, Fouladi DF, Ghojazadeh M. The utility of ultrasonographic bone age determination in detecting growth disturbances; a comparative study with the conventional radiographic technique. Skeletal Radiol 2015; 44:1351-6. [PMID: 26025121 DOI: 10.1007/s00256-015-2175-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2015] [Revised: 05/10/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To test whether the conventional radiographic technique in determining bone age abnormalities can be replaced by ultrasonography. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 54 Caucasian subjects up to 7 years of age with clinically suspected growth problems underwent left hand and wrist radiographic and ultrasonographic bone age estimations with the use of the Greulich-Pyle atlas. The ultrasonographic scans targeted the ossification centers in the radius and ulna distal epiphysis, carpal bones, epiphyses of the first and third metacarpals, and epiphysis of the middle phalanx, as described in previous reports. The degree of agreement between the two sets of data, as well as the accuracy of the ultrasonographic method in detecting radiographically suggested bone age abnormities, was examined. RESULTS The mean chronological age, radiographic bone age, and ultrasonographic bone age (all in months) were 41.96 ± 22.25, 26.68 ± 14.08, and 26.71 ± 13.50 in 28 boys and 43.62 ± 24.63, 30.12 ± 17.69, and 31.27 ± 18.06 in 26 girls, respectively. According to the Bland-Altman plot there was high agreement between the results of the two methods with only three outliers. The deviations in bone age from the chronological age taken by the two techniques had the same sign in all patients. Supposing radiography to be the method of reference, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of sonography in detecting growth abnormalities were all 100% in males and 90.9, 100, 100, and 93.8%, respectively, in females. CONCLUSION The conventional radiographic technique for determining bone age abnormalities could be replaced by ultrasonography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parisa Hajalioghli
- Department of Radiology, Imam Reza Teaching Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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Tomás LF, Mónico LSM, Tomás I, Varela-Patiño P, Martin-Biedma B. The accuracy of estimating chronological age from Demirjian and Nolla methods in a Portuguese and Spanish sample. BMC Oral Health 2014; 14:160. [PMID: 25540020 PMCID: PMC4326296 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6831-14-160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2014] [Accepted: 12/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Age determination has great importance in many clinical decisions, being commonly used in odontopediatrics, orthodontics, pediatrics, and forensic medicine. The Nolla and Demirjian et al. methods have been used for these purposes. However, estimating chronological age by means of the dental mineralization stage is not a straightforward analysis, and it is fundamental to test the validity of these methods and their applicability to populations. In this article we intend to compare the accuracy of estimating chronological age from dental age measured with the Nolla and Demirjian methods in a Portuguese and Spanish sample, considering the variables of sex and age-group. METHODS The sample was composed of 821 orthopantomographs of healthy Portuguese (n = 270) and Spanish (n = 551) subjects from 4 to 34 years old. For the Nolla and Demirjian methods, seven mandibular left teeth were examined, staged according to the dental maturity scale of each method. We obtained a good index of inter-rater agreement, a good internal consistency for the teeth assessment, and a good temporal consistency. RESULTS Dental age was calculated for each method. The Demirjian et al. method tends to overestimate the real age of participants and the Nolla method tends to underestimate it. The accuracy of both methods varied between the sexes and age groups. Both methods were found to be more precise with males. As the age-group increases, the predictive capacities of both methods diminish. The Nolla method was more accurate than the Demirjian method in early and late childhood for both sexes. Neither method could predict chronological age in adults. CONCLUSIONS We can estimate chronological age for early and late childhood, through the Nolla and Demirjian methods, with the former showing greater predictive capacities than the latter. The Demirjian method tends to overestimate age and the Nolla method tends to underestimate it, leading to the importance of forming regression equations adapted to the population studied. Nolla and Demirjian formulas adapted to our sample were created as a function of sex and age-group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luís F Tomás
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
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Lin FQ, Zhang J, Zhu Z, Wu YM. Comparative study of Gilsanz-Ratib digital atlas and Greulich-Pyle atlas for bone age estimation in a Chinese sample. Ann Hum Biol 2014; 42:523-7. [DOI: 10.3109/03014460.2014.977346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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Can the Greulich and Pyle method be used on French contemporary individuals? Int J Legal Med 2014; 129:171-7. [PMID: 24898190 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-014-1028-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2014] [Accepted: 05/27/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Forensic age estimation of living individuals has become increasingly important in forensic practice with the constant increase of migration movements to developed countries. The method of Greulich and Pyle is one of the most frequently used methods for age determination. The aim of our study was to verify the reliability of this method on a French contemporary population. We retrospectively analyzed 190 frontal hand and wrist radiographs of living subjects aged between 10 and 19 years (100 males and 90 females) performed in the Radiology Department of the University Hospital of Tours. These radiographs were compared with the Greulich and Pyle atlas to determine the skeletal age (SA) and to compare it to the chronological age (CA). We calculated the coefficient of correlation and the coefficient of determination for each sex group. The SA of our subjects was also inserted in the graphs provided by Greulich and Pyle in their atlas. Intra- and inter-observer variabilities were good, demonstrating the reproducibility and repeatability of the method. The correlation coefficients were high (0.98 for males and 0.93 for females) and comparable with published data. The mean difference between CA and SA was -2.29 months for males and -6.44 months for females, showing an overestimation of CA for both sexes. No statistical difference was found between CA and SA for both male and female samples. We concluded that the method of Greulich and Pyle can be used on a contemporary French population but not without caution because of a tendency for this method to overestimate age. A fully developed hand and wrist does not allow to state that the 18th year of life is completed beyond a reasonable doubt. We recommend using it in association with other methods.
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