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Original poster

Confused by bone age result can anyone help?

9 replies

NC1234561 · 27/02/2023 17:01

My DS is currently 4 years and 2 months old. He was born 3 months early and should have come at the end of March so is really 3 years ago and 11 months. Due to him being so small for his age his doctor had a bone age test and it's come back at 2 years and 8 months, how is this possible? I can't get through to anyone, is this a typo?

OP posts:
MrsCarson · 27/02/2023 17:32

Not a typo, a girl I babysat was very small for age and at about 14 months she too had a bone scan age thing done. She came back as under a year (11 months I think) which seemed to match how small she was She was born full term. Nothing was done they just monitored her growth.

LadyWithLapdog · 27/02/2023 17:35

How do you have access to the results but not someone to explain them?

Original poster
NC1234561 · 27/02/2023 17:54

They just sent it in the post, just got home and opener it so won't be able to reach anyone until tomorrow, the office is closed. I was expecting a difference but not 1.5 years! He's 4 and it says his bones are not even 3 years old, how can that be?

OP posts:

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Original poster
NC1234561 · 27/02/2023 17:57

This is what it says.

Confused by bone age result can anyone help?
OP posts:
Poblano · 27/02/2023 17:59

My DS had a similar result at the same age.

They monitored his growth for years, with talk of him needing hormone injections if his growth slowed, but he always managed to grow just enough.

He remained the smallest in his year until Y11, when he had a massive growth spurt. He's now in the first year of university and is around 5'10/5'11". I think he's still growing.

XanaduKira · 27/02/2023 18:00

How bloody unhelpful. I'm sure he'll be fine and it just means they'll monitor him a bit more closely but so annoying to receive that and not be able to ask about it!

Original poster
NC1234561 · 27/02/2023 18:10

Poblano · 27/02/2023 17:59

My DS had a similar result at the same age.

They monitored his growth for years, with talk of him needing hormone injections if his growth slowed, but he always managed to grow just enough.

He remained the smallest in his year until Y11, when he had a massive growth spurt. He's now in the first year of university and is around 5'10/5'11". I think he's still growing.

That's very reassuring thank you! 💐 I dread hormone injections, it's been mentioned a few times but mainly as something we may need to do in the future, hopefully he can avoid it.

OP posts:
Pythonesque · 27/02/2023 18:57

It may help to understand what a "bone age" measurement is actually measuring. It is more a measure of skeletal maturity than anything else, as it is determined by looking at the pattern of ossification (calcium being laid down in the developing bones) in the hand and wrist bones.

Like everything else there is a wide range of normal. A short child with a lower bone age than chronological, there are various explanations. If a child is small but has a bone age close to their actual age then the explanations would be different. Similarly a tall child may or may not have an advanced bone age which will help with making predictions about adult height if that is needed, for example.

A short child with a much younger bone age, does mean there is plenty of growth potential.

OP, I hope you can go through this result with your child's doctor soon in conjunction with other test results to understand its implications for your child and plans for ongoing monitoring.

Original poster
NC1234561 · 28/02/2023 07:42

Pythonesque · 27/02/2023 18:57

It may help to understand what a "bone age" measurement is actually measuring. It is more a measure of skeletal maturity than anything else, as it is determined by looking at the pattern of ossification (calcium being laid down in the developing bones) in the hand and wrist bones.

Like everything else there is a wide range of normal. A short child with a lower bone age than chronological, there are various explanations. If a child is small but has a bone age close to their actual age then the explanations would be different. Similarly a tall child may or may not have an advanced bone age which will help with making predictions about adult height if that is needed, for example.

A short child with a much younger bone age, does mean there is plenty of growth potential.

OP, I hope you can go through this result with your child's doctor soon in conjunction with other test results to understand its implications for your child and plans for ongoing monitoring.

Thank you very much, we haven't had much explanation and bone age is clearly not what I thought! This is very helpful, I'll call them today 💐

OP posts:
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