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29.Radiographic Estimation of Age Using Epiphyseal Fusion at Elbow Joint in Boys & Girls of 13-17 Years in Gadap Town
Rafay Ahmed Siddiqui1, Jan-e-Alam1, Hari Ram2, Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur3, Farzana Azam Khan4 and Ayesha Muzzamil5
ABSTRACT
Objective: To determine the radiographic age of 13–17-year-old boys and girls by examining epiphyseal fusion in the elbow joint.to examine the age at which the various elbow epiphyses fused in both sexes.to compare the age at which the different bones in the elbow joint have fused epiphyseally between boys and girls.
Study Design: Prospective observational study
Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Department of Radiology, Fatima Hospital, Karachi from January 2021 to January 2022.
Materials and Methods: Participants' ages were verified by verbal agreements, birth certificates, and school records. An expert radiologist in the department of radiology at the same institution took radiographs of the left elbow joint. According to Prasad et al. (2016), the degree of fusion was assessed for the secondary ossification sites including the capitulum, radial head, internal (medial) epicondyle, trochlea, olecranon, and exterior (lateral) epicondyle. Age (in years) and gender (male or female)-based data collection and analysis were utilized to gather and analyze the data. Chi-square test was performed to determine association and significant difference for categorical variables.
Results: According to the study's findings, male participants did not experience medial epicondyle fusion until they were 17 years old, whilst female participants did not experience it until they were 16 years old. The age of fusion for the conjoint epiphysis lateral epicondyle of the humerus was 17 years in females and 16 years in men. Last but not least, the findings demonstrated that full fusion of the upper ends of the radius and ulna in both genders happened at the age of 17. The study also showed that females often showed an earlier stage of fusion of these ossification sites than did men.
Conclusion: According to the present study, full epiphyseal fusion of the medial epicondyle at the lower humerus end was seen in 17-year-olds in 95% of females and 5% of males. The conjoint epiphysis lateral epicondyle of the lower end of the humerus was completely fused in 86% of the female participants and 0% of the male participants by the time they were 17 years old. While the Upper end of the radius and ulna had 100% complete epiphyseal fusion at the age of 17 in both gender groups. According to the study's findings, boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 17 in Gadap Town may be reliably identified by radiographic age estimate utilizing epiphyseal fusion at the elbow joint.
Key Words: Age estimation, medial epicondyle, conjoint epiphysis, radiographic epiphyseal fusion