Bone Age at 10 Years: Boy and Girl Hand X-Ray Reference
These reference radiographs show the typical appearance of the hand and wrist of a 10 year old boy and a 10 year old girl for bone age assessment. In late childhood the hand radiograph looks nearly complete at first glance, and assessment shifts from which bones are present to how mature each one looks. Epiphyseal width relative to the metaphysis and the shape of the carpal bones carry most of the information.
10 year old boy hand x-ray
In boys all carpal bones except the pisiform are usually ossified, and the epiphyses approach the width of their metaphyses. The overall configuration still trails girls of the same chronological age by roughly two years of skeletal age.
10 year old girl hand x-ray
In girls the carpals are well formed and the pisiform may already appear toward the end of this period. Epiphyses reach and begin to cap the metaphyses earlier than in boys, and early signs of the pubertal growth pattern can emerge by age 10.
What to look for at 10 years
- All carpals except the pisiform are typically visible
- Epiphyses approach the width of their metaphyses
- Pisiform may appear in girls near the end of this period
- Assessment emphasises shape and proportion rather than bone counts
How to use these reference images
Obtain a PA radiograph of the left hand and wrist and compare it side by side with the reference image for the matching sex. If the patient’s radiograph looks more mature, move to an older reference; if it looks less mature, move to a younger one. The best match gives the estimated bone age, which you can then combine with chronological age and current height to predict adult height.
Neighbouring ages: Bone Age at 9 Years and Bone Age at 11 Years. Browse every age point in the complete bone age atlas by age.