Fengyuan Hospital in Taichung introduces AI-assisted bone-age reading to better evaluate children’s growth patterns, urging parents to move beyond simple assumptions about height and puberty.
Parents increasingly concerned about children’s height are being urged not to rely on simple assumptions about what is normal, as doctors warn that a child’s current stature does not necessarily predict adult height. At Fengyuan Hospital in Taichung, paediatrician Ma Chih-hao said that internet advice can encourage families to believe that being “not short yet” means there is no problem, or that puberty will automatically bring a late growth spurt, both of which can delay proper assessment.
Height is shaped by far more than genetics alone. MedlinePlus Genetics says inherited factors account for roughly 80% of a person’s height, but nutrition, general health in childhood and other environmental influences also affect growth. Healthline similarly notes that sleep, exercise and diet support healthy development during growth years, even though they cannot push height beyond a child’s genetic potential. The result, clinicians say, is that a child who looks average today may still be developing too quickly or too slowly for their age.
Ma said one of the most important signs is growth pattern rather than a single measurement. A child may be within the expected height range but have a faster-than-normal rate of bone maturation, which can shorten the time available to grow. Others may simply be late bloomers. To help distinguish between the two, Fengyuan Hospital has introduced an AI-assisted bone-age reading system that analyses left-hand X-rays and produces objective data more quickly, offering doctors a tool to improve consistency while they still make the final clinical judgement.
The hospital says the software is meant to support, not replace, specialist assessment. Bone-age tools already in use elsewhere, such as systems from Gleamer and AZmed, are marketed on similar promises of faster, more standardised interpretation of hand X-rays, while other platforms aim to estimate skeletal maturity and related growth patterns. Ma said children who are clearly shorter than classmates, are growing by less than about four to five centimetres a year, or show puberty that is unusually early or late should be assessed sooner rather than waiting until adolescence is over.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
