Prospective study develops and validates a new MRI-based skeletal age tool in youth with ACL injuries, suggesting improved assessment consistency.
Key Points
The study aims to develop and validate a simplified MRI-based method for assessing skeletal age in pediatric patients with ACL injuries.
Conducted a prospective study of 130 knee MRIs from skeletally immature patients with ACL injuries.
Developed the STEP Shorthand based on sagittal T1-weighted MRI evaluation of the proximal tibial epiphysis.
Validated the method by having four raters assess MRIs using STEP and existing shorthand atlases, measuring reliability and correlation with chronological age.
The STEP Shorthand showed a strong correlation with chronological age (rho = 0.890, p < 0.001).
High inter-rater reliability was observed, comparable to established shorthand methods.
Utilizing sagittal T1-weighted MRI allowed for simplified and consistent assessment across raters of different expertise levels.