Imaging bone growth to predict limb length in kids and young adults
Official title: Imaging physeal structure and activity to evaluate physeal injury and predict limb length
Funded at Hospital for Special Surgery · NIH-11267455 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aims to use advanced MRI diffusion imaging to better predict how long a child’s leg bone will grow and how it might become misaligned after injury or toward adulthood.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Hospital for Special Surgery NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | June 1, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $719,791 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HD120263-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11267455 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children and adolescents experiencing leg-length discrepancies or deformities, and healthy volunteers for comparison to model growth patterns.
✕Less likely to help
Young people without growth-related limb concerns or who do not undergo imaging with DTI may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project will study diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the growth plates and surrounding bone to measure activity and growth patterns in the leg bones. By imaging adolescents serially, researchers hope to predict final bone lengths more accurately than current methods. The work will analyze data from the femur and tibia to see how physeal activity relates to differential growth and potential deformities. Findings could guide surgical planning for limb-length discrepancies and angular deformities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, doctors could plan surgeries more precisely to restore equal leg lengths and proper alignment, potentially reducing joint problems later in life.
How similar studies have gone: Previous imaging work has shown promise in linking growth plate signals with growth, but this study aims to validate DTI as a predictive biomarker for individual bone growth.
Where this research is happening
-
Hospital for Special Surgery
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jaramillo, Diego — Hospital for Special Surgery
- Study coordinator: Jaramillo, Diego
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.