PURPOSE: To assess the presence of ossification of the sesamoid bone of the thumb as a function of age and compare the results to data from the atlas by Greulich and Pyle describing the ossification of this bone in girls of 11 years and boys of 13 years. Materials and methods. Prospective study of 1372 children (780 boys and 592 girls between the ages of 0.4 and 19.7 years, mean age of 9.7 years) with known chronological age requiring radiographic evaluation of the wrist-hand after minor trauma. The presence of a sesamoid was analyzed by logistic regression using the method of probits. RESULTS: The minimum and maximum ages in our sample population were 10-15.1 years for boys and 8.8-15.2 years for girls. The P50 value (method of probits) corresponded to the chronological age at which 50% of the population had a visible sesamoid. It was 12.1 years for boys and 10.2 years for girls. CONCLUSION: The timing of ossification of the sesamoid of the thumb is widely variable. Ossification of this sesamoid should not be used as a precise indicator when determining bone age using the atlas by Greulich and Pyle.
PURPOSE: To assess the presence of ossification of the sesamoid bone of the thumb as a function of age and compare the results to data from the atlas by Greulich and Pyle describing the ossification of this bone in girls of 11 years and boys of 13 years. Materials and methods. Prospective study of 1372 children (780 boys and 592 girls between the ages of 0.4 and 19.7 years, mean age of 9.7 years) with known chronological age requiring radiographic evaluation of the wrist-hand after minor trauma. The presence of a sesamoid was analyzed by logistic regression using the method of probits. RESULTS: The minimum and maximum ages in our sample population were 10-15.1 years for boys and 8.8-15.2 years for girls. The P50 value (method of probits) corresponded to the chronological age at which 50% of the population had a visible sesamoid. It was 12.1 years for boys and 10.2 years for girls. CONCLUSION: The timing of ossification of the sesamoid of the thumb is widely variable. Ossification of this sesamoid should not be used as a precise indicator when determining bone age using the atlas by Greulich and Pyle.