Nuzhat Hassan

Bone age assessment methods: a critical review.

The bone age of a child indicates his/her level of biological and structural maturity better than the chronological age calculated from the date of birth. Radiography of the hand & wrist is the commonest modality used to calculate bone age. Automated methods for evaluation of hand and wrist radiographs are also being developed which reduce inter rater variability compared to manual methods. Non radiation based techniques of visualizing hand & wrist bones such as ultrasonography for bone age calculation have been theorized but are not as accurate as radiographic methods. By the age of 18 years, bone age cannot be computed from hand & wrist radiographs, therefore the medial end of the clavicle is used for bone age calculation in individuals aged 18—22 years. CT visualization of the clavicle has been extensively studied but requires a high dose of radiation. MRI based methods are being developed but require more research. Dental age is an alternate form of bone age determination, which also gives an estimate of skeletal maturity. The iliac bone and femoral head have also been studied for computation of bone age but no standardized methods have yet been generated. As different modalities of bone age estimation provide different results and their applicability differs in different ethnicities, we need to design studies in order to compare them and select the method best suited to Pakistani children. Sources of Data/Study Selection: Recent articles published between years 2004-2013 obtained from online search engines Pubmed and Google Scholar were used in preparation of this review.

Analysis of renal artery morphometery in adults: A study conducted by using Multidetector computed Tomography Angiography

Objective: To determine a reference range of renal artery measurements by using Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT) angiography and to find association of renal artery measurements with side of artery, gender and age. Method: Two hundred and fifty study participants without renal artery disease who werepresented to Radiology Department, Ziauddin Hospital, Karachi, from November, 2016 to April, 2017 were included in this study. Main renal artery measurements were taken on Multidetector computed angiography and variation with side, gender and age were analyzed. Statistical analysis was done on Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Independent sample T test, one way ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation analysis were applied. P-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A significance difference (p=0.001) was seen between mean right renal artery (diameter 6.66 ± 0.39 mm; length 44.69 ± 2.48 mm) and left renal artery (diameter 6.79 ± 0.36; length 35.10 ± 2.86 mm). Females found to have smaller mean diameter and length of renal arteries than males. However, a weak negative correlation was seen between mean renal artery diameter and age (right r= -0.158, p=0.0121; left r= -0.017, p= 0.708). Conclusion: The mean diameter and mean length were found to be significantly different between right and left main renal artery and between males and females. A significant weak negative correlation was observed between renal artery diameter and age.