The radiologist will send a report to your doctor, who will discuss the results with you and explain what they mean. The X-ray will be looked at by a radiologist (a doctor who’s specially trained in reading and interpreting X-ray images). If they’re blurred, the X-ray may need to be redone. The X-ray room may feel cool, due to the air conditioning used to maintain the equipment.Īfter the X-ray is taken, you and your child will be asked to wait a few minutes while the images are processed. Your child won’t feel anything as the X-ray is taken. This is important to prevent blurring of the X-ray image. Your child will be asked to stay still for a couple of seconds while the X-ray is taken. The technician will then step behind a wall or into an adjoining room to operate the machine. A protective shield will be given to your child as well. The technician will ask your child to sit on a stool and place his or her left hand on the table with fingers spread. If you stay in the room while the X-ray is being done, you’ll be asked to wear a lead apron to protect certain parts of your body from radiation. Parents are usually able to accompany their child to provide reassurance and support. Your child will be asked to enter a special room that will most likely contain a table and a large X-ray machine hanging from the ceiling.
It takes only a few minutes from start to finish, and actual exposure to radiation is often less than a few seconds. Your child will be asked to remove all clothing and jewelry from the area that will be on the X-ray because they can interfere with the image.ĭeveloping babies are more sensitive to radiation and are at more risk for harm, so if your daughter is pregnant, be sure to tell her doctor and the X-ray technician. A bone age X-ray doesn’t require special preparation. orthopedic or orthodontic problems in which the timing and type of treatment (surgery, bracing, etc.) must be guided by the child’s predicted growthĪ bone age X-ray will be done by an X-ray technician in a radiology department within a hospital, a freestanding radiology center, or doctor’s office.genetic growth disorders, such as Turner syndrome (TS).diseases that affect the levels of hormones involved in growth, such as growth hormone deficiency, hypothyroidism, precocious puberty, and adrenal gland disorders.The test is also used to monitor progress and guide treatment of kids with conditions that affect growth, including: what the child’s ultimate height will be.This test is usually ordered by pediatricians or pediatric endocrinologists. The bone age study can help evaluate how fast or slowly a child’s skeleton is maturing, which can help doctors diagnose conditions that delay or accelerate physical growth and development. But such differences don’t always mean there’s a problem, because perfectly healthy kids can have bone ages that differ from their chronological ages. A child’s bone age (also called the skeletal age) is assigned by determining which of the standard X-ray images in the atlas most closely match the appearance of the child’s bones on the X-ray.Ī difference between a child’s bone age and his or her chronological age might indicate a growth problem. Because they look different at each age, a doctor can assign a bone age based on the appearance of the bones and growth plates. Growth plates are easy to spot on an X-ray because they’re softer and contain less mineral, making them appear darker on an X-ray image than the rest of the bone.Īs kids grow, growth plates change in appearance on the X-ray images and become thinner, eventually disappearing (this is what is called “closed growth plates”). These plates consist of special cells responsible for the bones’ growth in length. The bone age is measured in years.Ī child’s bones, such as those in the fingers and wrist, contain “growing zones” at both ends called growth plates. The bones on the X-ray image are compared with X-rays images in a standard atlas of bone development, which is based on data from large numbers of other kids of the same gender and age. It is a safe and painless procedure that uses a small amount of radiation. It’s usually done by taking a single X-ray of the left wrist, hand, and fingers. A bone age study helps doctors estimate the maturity of a child’s skeletal system.
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