Pituitary gland size is a useful marker in diagnosing isolated growth hormone deficiency in short children.

INTRODUCTION

Diagnosis of isolated growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) can be challenging. As short stature is common in children, confirmed diagnosis is necessary prior to commencing treatment. Pituitary hypoplasia can be seen in children with IGHD. However, confirmatory studies are lacking.

AIM

To test the application of pituitary size as a marker for IGHD in a population-matched control.

PATIENT AND METHOD

Subjects with IGHD were enrolled. Patients had brain magnetic resonance imaging, and the height and width of the pituitary were measured. Pituitary volume was calculated as (height × width)3/2. A control group was recruited.

RESULTS

Sixty patients and 130 controls were enrolled. The median and age range for the patients and controls were 11 and 3-16 years and 9 and 3-17 years, respectively. Cases had a significantly lower dimensions compared to controls (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Pituitary volume can be a useful marker to compliment the diagnosis of IGHD in selected patients when population-relevant normative control data are used.