[Treatment of central precocious puberty with an LHRH analog. Effect on growth and bone maturation after 2 years of treatment].

Eighteen children (15 girls and 3 boys) with true precocious puberty have been treated with an LHRH analogue (HOE 766, Buserelin suprefact) given subcutaneously during one (n = 11) or two (n = 7) years. Six of 18 children had organic precocious puberty, but their responses to therapy did not show any difference. A satisfactory suppression was achieved in 16 cases with plasma testosterone below 0.5 ng/ml (boys) or estradiol below 25 pg/ml and vaginal maturation index below 35 (girls). The mean annual height gain diminished from 9.5 +/- 0.8 cm during the control year to 7.7 +/- 0.7 cm and 5.1 +/- 0.7 cm during the first and second years of therapy respectively (p less than 0.05). Simultaneously, the mean bone age of 10.4 +/- 0.4 yr at onset of treatment, was 11.4 +/- 0.4 yr after one year and 11.8 +/- 0.3 yr after two years. These changes explain an average increase of predicted height of 5.7 cm after two years of treatment with the LHRH analogue. At least on the basis of these data with two years follow-up, this treatment seems satisfactory. We did not find anti-Buserelin antibodies in any of these patients.