Uday Kiran B.1 , Divya Pothati2
BACKGROUND Study of ossification of carpal bones in children indicates the level of structural maturity and age estimation. For the assessment of skeletal maturity in children, radiologists often use hand and wrist radiograph because of low level of radiation. Carpals are the most commonly used bones for determining the age of a child. We wanted to study the appearance of ossification centers in the carpal bones in age group of 3 - 14 years. METHODS This is a prospective observational study of one-year duration conducted between January 2019 and December 2020 in the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at Maheshwara Medical College and Hospital, Patancheru, Telangana. Children 3 to 14 years of age from nearby schools were randomly selected, and X-rays of the carpal bones were taken. Appearance of carpal bones and ossification were studied to estimate the age. RESULTS The study included 70 school children. We found that capitate and hamate carpals ossified during the first year of life in children of both sexes. Triquetral and lunate appeared at 3 - 4 years, trapezium, trapezoid and scaphoid carpals appeared between 5 and 8 years. Pisiform appeared at 9 years of age in females and at 13 years in males. CONCLUSIONS Capitate and hamate ossify at an early age. Triquetral and lunate carpals appear after capitate and hamate. Their appearance is slightly earlier in females than in males.
