Endocrine Abstracts

Background: X-rays of the left hand and wrist are used to assess skeletal maturity. The Tanner-Whitehouse 3 (TW3) scoring method provides a framework for calculating bone age but specifies exact hand position. We noted a number of poor quality films, caused by difficulty with hand placement, e.g. scrunching of the fingers. This compromises the ability to score accurately and in a proportion necessitates re-X-ray, resulting in additional time, cost and radiation exposure. We in...

Background: Bone age studies require X-ray of the left hand and wrist to assess skeletal maturity. The Tanner-Whitehouse 3 (TW3) scoring method provides an objective framework for calculating bone age and specifies exact placement of the hand. In our service we have noted a number of poor quality films, caused by difficulty with hand placement, e.g. scrunching of the fingers. This compromises the ability to score accurately and in a proportion necessitates re-X-ray, with time,...