4.5 Development of the appendicular skeleton

A radiograph (X-ray image) of a child’s femur will show the epiphyseal plates associated with each secondary ossification center. These plates of hyaline cartilage will appear dark in comparison to the white imaging of the ossified bone. Since each epiphyseal plate appears and disappears at a different age, the presence or absence of these plates can be used to give an approximate age for the child. For example, the epiphyseal plate located at the base of the lesser trochanter of the femur appears at age 9–10 years and disappears at puberty (approximately 11 years of age). Thus, a child’s radiograph that shows the presence of the lesser trochanter epiphyseal plate indicates an approximate age of 10 years.