Skeletal Growth in Males

Abstract

There is little difference in skeletal structure in prepubertal males and females. As bone length increases during growth, the diameter of a bone cross-section increases with expansion of the medullary cavity so that there is little change in apparent vBMD in the vertebral body or long bones. Trabecular architecture, such as its BV/TV, thickness, number and separation may remain largely unchanged from as early as 2 years of age. At puberty, due to a longer duration of prepubertal growth in males than in females, sex differences in bone size appear, but not in cortical thickness. Trabecular architecture also differs by sex at maturity in favor of males having thicker trabeculae. An individual..