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Status unknownNCT01980693Updated Mar 6, 2015

Ultrasound Evaluation of Bone Age in Healthy Children

An interventional study of SonicBone ultrasound in Evaluation of Bone Age by Ultrasound Technology, sponsored by Clalit Health Services. Status unknown at 1 site in Israel. Open to participants aged 4 Years to 17 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2015-03-06.

Sponsored by Clalit Health Services · Not applicable, Interventional, and Diagnostic

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified Apr 2013), so the status shown — last known as Recruiting — may be out of date.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
300
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
4 Years to 17 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

Skeletal maturity assessment, defined also as bone age (BA), has an important role in pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology, used mainly for evaluating growth and puberty related endocrine disorders. Repeated BA assessment is important during the follow up of children with short stature, with precocious puberty and those treated by growth promoting medications.

The most commonly used method used for determining skeletal maturity, and thus BA is based on comparison of a hand and wrist radiographs to a standard series of representative films in the "Radiographic atlas of skeletal development of the hand and wrist" by Greulich and Pyle (GP), which has been issued several decades ago. The suggested method in this study is based on ultrasound technology, and therefore it is quick, objective, and radiation-free. It delivers an immediate non biased result without the need to rely on an observer's evaluation of the hand radiograph and without the need for a specialized radiology facility.

Read the detailed description

Skeletal maturity assessment, defined also as bone age (BA), has an important role in pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology, used mainly for evaluating growth and puberty related endocrine disorders. Repeated BA assessment is important during the follow up of children with short stature, with precocious puberty and those treated by growth promoting medications.

The most commonly used method used for determining skeletal maturity, and thus BA is based on comparison of a hand and wrist radiographs to a standard series of representative films in the "Radiographic atlas of skeletal development of the hand and wrist" by Greulich and Pyle (GP), which has been issued several decades ago. Among the disadvantages and drawbacks in this BA assessment method are: the obligatory need for using radiology units that are often available only in special facilities or hospitals, not available at the physicians office, the exposure to ionizing radiation, and the known limitation of the method for the need of an endocrinologist to assess the BA, with a known large inter observers variability of the BA interpretation.

The suggested method in this study is based on ultrasound technology, and therefore it is quick, objective, and radiation-free. It delivers an immediate non biased result without the need to rely on an observer's evaluation of the hand radiograph and without the need for a specialized radiology facility.

This technique was innovated in order to find an efficient, convenient and non radiation based method of skeletal maturity assessment for the primary care physician that can be performed in an office setting.

The aim of this study is to establish a new bone age database by an ultrasound apparatus (SonicBone) that will eventually replace the X-ray based assessment using Greulich and Pyle and Tanner \& Whitehouse Atlas and methods.

The design of the study is to perform a concomitant skeletal maturation assessment by reading of an ultrasound technique using the SonicBone apparatus. Skeletal maturation assessment will be performed in females and males at various age groups from 4-17 years old.

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Conditions studied

  • Evaluation of Bone Age by Ultrasound Technology
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In context

Lead sponsor

Clalit Health Services is the lead sponsor of 43 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
4 Years to 17 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

Children aged 4-17 years old Children with normal (3%-97%) height values for their age Children with normal (3%-97%) weight values for their age Children with normal (5%-85%) BMI value for their age Children of Caucasian ethnical origin A signed Informed Consent Form that was obtained from at least one parent or legal guardian, prior to ultrasound study.

An assent from the child to perform the SonicBone's BA device measurement

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

Children taking any medication that might change bone metabolism or mineralization within the last year (glucocorticosteroids, sex steroids, oral contraceptives, anticonvulsants, calcium and vitamin D in superphysiological doses) Children with suspected bone diseases, metabolic diseases, chronic diseases or multiple fractures.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Diagnostic
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
300 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Other
    bone age assessment by ultrasound

    The aim of this phase is to collect the ultrasound reading values of Speed of Sound (SOS) and Distance (DIS) of all participants by performing a one time measurement of the left hand by the SonicBone's BA device. Each measurement will be performed on three sites of the hand: the wrist the phalanx and the metacarpal bones.

    Device: SonicBone ultrasound

Interventions

  • DeviceSonicBone ultrasound

    The device measure BA using ultrasound technology by measurement of speed of sound in three different sites : wrist bones, Phalanx III, Metacarpal bones.The device sends a short US pulse and measures the distance between a transmitter probe and a receiver probe, located at the bone measured area.The US probe converts electrical pulse to US pulse and US wave via tested bone arrives from transmitter to Receiver. Simultaneously with US pulse, controller start timer to calculate time between US pulse and the moment that US wave arrives to receiver. The accepted US signal of selected probe via amplifiers arrives to comparators that read timer value. The microcontroller calculates SOS using distance between probes and US time of flight.

    Also known as: SonicBone BA, SonicBone Medical

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. bone age

    The aim of this study is to establish a new bone age database by an ultrasound apparatus (SonicBone) that will eventually replace the X-ray based assessment using Greulich and Pyle and Tanner \& Whitehouse Atlas and methods.

    Time frame: 2 years ( 2013-2014)

  2. bone age

    To establish by an ultrasound apparatus (SonicBone's BAUS) a skeletal maturity (Bone Age) status database which corresponds with healthy children and adolescence. To establish a conversion formula by an ultrasound apparatus results (SonicBone BAUS) for prediction of bone age assessment of healthy children and adolescence.

    Time frame: 2 years (2013-2014)

Secondary outcomes

  1. bone age

    To investigate the pattern of skeletal maturation and ossification order of the three examined sites: Phalanx, Metacarpal and Wrist

    Time frame: 2 years (2013-2014)

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Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Pediatric Community Ambulatory Clinic
    Petah-Tikva, Israel
    • Cohen Herman, MD · Contact · hermanc@post.tau.ac.il · 972-3-9398203
    • Cohen Herman, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
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References and documents

Publications

  • Zou KH, Tuncali K, Silverman SG. Correlation and simple linear regression. Radiology. 2003 Jun;227(3):617-22. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2273011499. PubMed 12773666 ↗
  • Oostdijk W, Grote FK, de Muinck Keizer-Schrama SM, Wit JM. Diagnostic approach in children with short stature. Horm Res. 2009;72(4):206-17. doi: 10.1159/000236082. Epub 2009 Sep 29. PubMed 19786792 ↗
  • Baroncelli GI. Quantitative ultrasound methods to assess bone mineral status in children: technical characteristics, performance, and clinical application. Pediatr Res. 2008 Mar;63(3):220-8. doi: 10.1203/PDR.0b013e318163a286. PubMed 18287958 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 6, 2015, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01980693
Lead sponsor
Clalit Health Services
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Nov 11, 2013
Start date
Jun 2013
Primary completion
Dec 2016 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 2016 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 6, 2015

Study contacts

Cohen Av Herman, MD
Contact
hermanc@post.tau.ac.il
972-3-9398200
Herman Av Cohen, MD
principal investigator · Clalit Health Services

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is status unknown, as verified in Apr 2013. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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