Clinical orthopaedics and related research
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Nov 2018
Comparative Study Observational StudyEarly Maturity as the New Normal: A Century-long Study of Bone Age.
Epiphyseal fusion (EF) marks the completion of longitudinal bone growth, a critical milestone monitored during treatment of skeletal growth and/or developmental disorders. Recently, a trend toward accelerated skeletal maturation in children has been documented. Because current methods for assessing skeletal maturation include children in their reference populations born as early as the 1930s, the timing of EF events in contemporary patients may differ substantially from those standards. ⋯ Level II, prognostic study.