Variantes esqueléticas menores en ni？os y adolescentes de estratos bajos de Caracas

abstract the frequency of minor skeletal variants (msv): pseudo-epiphysis (pse), cone-shaped epiphysis (cse), brachymesophalangy (bmp), supernumerary epiphysis (se), and bone fusion (bf) was analyzed in 3,596 subjects between 2-15 years of age by means of a radiological study of left hands and wrists according to sex, age, and the location and presence of growth primary deficit. chi-square relation was established between the msv at gestational age, nutritional status at birth and skeletal maturation status. the msv prevalence found was 27.6%; pse: 23.9% more frequent in boys; cse: 3.3% more frequent in girls; bmp: 3.1%; se: 0.08% and bf: 0.2%. only 2.5% showed some growth primary deficit. no relation was found between prematurity with msv, low stature at birth, epiphysis maturation status; however, some relation was found between small symmetric for gestational age with pse, bmp, and cse and intrauterine retarded growth with pse and bmp. the prevalence of the different msv found in this study corresponds to children and adolescents without primary growth failure of prenatal onset and are within the ranges reported in international literature, as well as the location and trend frequencies for either one or the other sex. in the children with intrauterine retarded growth an association was found with pse, bmp and cse.