Comparative Analysis of Maturation Prediction Methods (Moore, Mirwald, BAUSportTM): Croatian Female Volleyball Youth Team Example.

Objectives

The study aims to compare three distinct protocols-Moore, Mirwald, and the new BAUSportTM SonicBone system-for predicting somatic maturation in youth athletes.

Methods

The participants were female members of the Croatian national volleyball youth team (U-17) (n = 16). The study involved comprehensive measurements, including height, weight, sitting height, leg length, wrist diameter, hand joint diameter, hand grip strength, and ultrasound measurements for skeletal age assessment.

Results

Correlation analysis showed moderate to strong correlations between the Moore and Mirwald skeletal age estimates, but both showed weaker correlations with the BAUSportTM skeletal age. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed no significant difference between the Moore and Mirwald methods (p > 0.05); significant differences between both the Moore and Mirwald methods and the BAUSportTM method (p < 0.05). Regression analysis revealed that height, weight, sitting height, leg length, wrist diameter, and hand joint diameter explained 69% of BAUSportTM, with wrist diameter being the only significant predictor. While the Moore and Mirwald methods remain useful tools for estimating the timing of an athlete's growth spurt, BAUSportTM represents a potential advancement in skeletal age assessment. Further research is needed to validate BAUSportTM across diverse populations and optimize its calibration to accommodate anatomical variations.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that with further refinement, BAUSportTM could become a new standard for monitoring skeletal development in youth athletes. Additionally, studies should explore comparative analyses with other emerging technologies, such as genetic markers, hormonal assessments, and MRI, for further understanding of biological maturation in talent identification.