Evaluation of ultrasound bone velocity in childhood

Objectives. To evaluate ultrasound bone velocity in a large sample of healthy and normal weight school children. Methods. Ultrasound bone velocity (AD-SOS) measured on the distal metaphysis of the first phalanges (digits II-V) of the hand was evaluated in 310 children (151 boys and 159 girls) aged between 3 and 11 years. All children were pre-pubertal. Subjects with obesity or any other disease known to influence bone structure or density were excluded. Possible relationships between AD-SOS and age or anthropometric data (height, weight) were also sought. Results. Mean AD-SOS values were 1893 ± 44 m/sec in boys and 1896 ± 40 m/sec in girls. An age-dependent increase in AD-SOS was found in both boys (r 0.76, p <0.0001) and girls (r 0.75, p <0.0001). A positive correlation was found between AD-SOS and weight (boys: r 0.67, girls r 0.55; p <0.0001) or height (boys: r 0.75, girls: r 0.69; p <0.0001). When anthropometric parameters were expressed as height-SDS or relative BMI, no significant relationship was found. Conclusions. Ultrasound methods are able to detect the age-dependent variations in bone structure. It may be useful for the prevention and diagnosis of bone diseases in children. This study provided reference data on AD-SOS in a healthy, pre-pubertal Italian population.