Structural ultrasound of joints and tendons in healthy children: development of normative data
Authors' conclusion
Reference values of sonographic cartilage thickness, BCD and diameters of tendons at several joints were established from 500 healthy children, aged between 0.2 and 18 years.
Study context
- Population
- Healthy children aged 0.2–18 years; US of shoulder, elbow, wrist, MCP2, hip, knee, ankle and MTP1195 male, 305 female
- Participants
- 500 children
- Outcome
- Structural sonographic features of joints and tendons (cartilage thickness, tendon diameters, capsular distention by BCD) and normative data
Methodological detailsnormative data, greyscale US, nonparametric quantile regression
- Normative data
- Greyscale US
- Nonparametric quantile regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Normative US values
- Cartilage diminished markedly with age; boys' cartilage significantly thicker than girls' in all joints
- p < 0.001
- Cartilage thinner with increasing height and weight (beta regression coefficients)
- - 0.27 and - 0.01, p < 0.0001
- Capsular distention (bone-capsular distance (BCD) > 0 mm) in ankle, wrist, MCP2
- 3, 6, and 3%
- Capsular distention in suprapatellar and parapatellar knee, MTP1, posterior recess of elbow
- 34, 32, 46, and 39%
- Age best predictor for BCD (beta regression coefficients)
- 0.05 and 0.13, p < 0.0001
- Height, in addition to age, good predictor of tendon diameter (beta regression coefficients)
- 0.03 and 0.14, p < 0.0001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Structural ultrasound of joints and tendons in healthy children: development of normative data. Pediatr Rheumatol Online J. Published 19 September 2023. doi:10.
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