Bone Age Test...needed?

Question

I'm concerned about my son's growth though his doctor feels he's normal.

At 12 months, he was 22 pounds/30 inches tall (34% for weight/51% for height).

At 2 yrs, he was 26 pounds/34 inches tall (24% for weight/35% for height). He'd grown 4 inches that year, but percentages were dropping a lot in height/weight.

At 3 yrs, he was 29 pounds/36 inches tall (20% for weight/15% for height). He'd only grown 2 inches that year.

At 4 yrs, he was 32 pounds/39 inches tall (15% for weight/20% for height). He'd grown 3 inches this past year. Height has improved very slightly.

From birth to 12 months, his height was always around the 50th percentile. Since age 12 months, it hovers around 20%. Weight is dropping off too.

I'm 5'4" and my husband is 5'9". I think that's average yet our son is well below avg in height. Should we demand a bone age test? Are there any other tests? If he's short and healthy that's fine. But I'm afraid of underlying illness.

Answer 1

I would not demand a bone age test from the regular doctor. Instead ask for a  referral to a pediatric endocrinologist. My son was not growing fast enough at all and the pediatric endocrinologist did a bunch of tests...including a bone age xray. My son ended up having idiopathic short stature. basically there is not a known medical reason for him to be short, but he can be helped by growth hormones. from age 11 to 12 he grew a little over 4 inches and gained 20 pounds. but on the down side he has to have a shot 6 days a week.