In children, bone age can be assessed by imaging which anatomical areas?

Bone age assessment in children is primarily performed by imaging the left hand and wrist. This method is commonly used because the growth plates in these areas provide a reliable indicator of skeletal maturity. The ossification centers in the left hand and wrist can be evaluated using various radiographic standards, such as the Greulich and Pyle method, which compares the patient's radiographs to standard images of children at different ages.

The left hand and wrist are preferred for this assessment because they represent a wide variety of growth plate development and are typically less variable than other locations. When evaluating bone age, the left hand is often used to ensure consistency, as the left side of the body is generally imaged to eliminate any potential bias that could arise from differences in bone development between the dominant and non-dominant sides.

In contrast, the other options do not align with the established protocols for bone age assessment. Although the right hand and wrist could be used, standard practice favors the left side for consistency. Imaging the feet and tibia may provide some information about growth but is not commonly utilized for formal bone age assessment due to the complexity of interpreting growth patterns in those areas. Therefore, the left hand and wrist are the standard anatomical areas for assessing bone age in children.