In forensic radiological age estimation using epiphyseal union, skeletal maturation in girls compared with boys of the same chronological age is:
- A Retarded by approximately 2 years
- B Advanced by approximately 2 years ✓
- C Identical until puberty, then retarded
- D Identical throughout development
Correct answer: B. Advanced by approximately 2 years
Explanation
Girls are consistently ahead of boys in skeletal maturation by roughly 2 years, and epiphyseal fusion is correspondingly completed about 2 years earlier in females. This is why separate standards, such as the female and male plates of the Greulich and Pyle atlas, exist for each sex. Applying male norms to a female radiograph will systematically underestimate her age, which is a recognised source of error when the sex of the subject is unknown.
Reference: The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (Reddy and Murthy), 34th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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