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Evaluation of Activity of Epiphyseal Plates in Growing Males and Females

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Abstract

To investigate the age-related activity of the epiphyseal plates, a retrospective study of 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate bone scans was undertaken. The study comprised 81 males and 46 females aged 2 weeks to 24 years. The total percentage (%) whole-body (ratio of total physis activity to whole-body activity) and the regional % whole-body (ratio of physis activity of one region to whole-body activity) were derived. The ratio of physis activity of one region to the total physis activity was defined as % physis. Before age 12, total physis activity was found to contribute about 10% to whole-body activity. All total and regional % whole-body activities followed sigmoid curves with age. The differences of the parameters (transition centers and widths) suggested that there might be a later and longer period for the disappearance of physis activity in males than in females. For all the regions, % physis changed little with age until after puberty. At age <1, the proportion of bone activity in the body was about 30–35% for skull, 20–25% for lower limbs, and 5–15% for the rest of the regions. The maximal changes during growth occurred in the skull and the lower limbs. The age-related changes of physis activity during growth reflect a combination of the potential of bone to grow and the processes of bone growth and bone turnover. Bone scintigraphy is useful in understanding the changes of physis activity during growth.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, 135 Nan Shiao Street, Changhua, Taiwan, 500

    K.-T. A. Yang

  2. Department of Radiology, Changhua Christian Hospital, 135 Nan Shiao Street, Changhua, Taiwan, 500

    A. D. Yang

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  1. K.-T. A. Yang
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  2. A. D. Yang
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Correspondence to K.-T. A. Yang.

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Yang, KT.A., Yang, A.D. Evaluation of Activity of Epiphyseal Plates in Growing Males and Females. Calcif Tissue Int 78, 348–356 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-005-0269-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-005-0269-3

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