Growth and development of the distal radius and ulna.

Abstract

Deformities of the wrist and forearm may result from growth disturbance of the radius and ulna. Normal growth patterns were established by measuring the distance between the distal radial and ulnar growth plates in 244 children. The subjects were healthy, well-nourished, middle-class Americans, mostly of Northwest European descent. After the age of 5 years, the distance between the distal radial and distal ulnar growth plates progressively decreased from a mean of 6 mm to a mean of zero by age 13 in girls and age 15 in boys. These measurements are helpful in determining the normal appearance of the wrist during growth and in the early detection of growth discrepancy.