title: Linear growth after colectomy for ulcerative colitis in childhood.
abstract: Eighteen children and adolescents, of a total of 90 treated in our unit between 1982 and 1992, underwent colectomy for ulceractive colitis. Six (6.7%) of the 90 patients had short stature, i.e., a height below the 3rd centile, and 8 of the 18 who had surgery had a subnormal height velocity, i.e., below the 25th centile for age at the time of surgery. Surgery was performed for resistance to medical therapy (n = 13) or toxic megacolon (n = 5). Surgery was followed by catch-up growth, i.e., increasing height velocity, in eight subjects and cessation of the trend of diminishing height velocity, but without catch-up growth, in five. In 11 of the subjects who were prepubertal, the median height velocity increased from 3.85 cm/year preoperatively to 7.35 cm/year postoperatively (p < 0.01). One year after surgery, 14 of the 18 patients were either asymptomatic or substantially improved. Surgery therefore led to improved linear growth and a prolonged symptom-free period in most of the children and adolescents with ulcerative colitis undergoing this treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, England, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nicholls
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Majrowski
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Shand
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Savage
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Walker-Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003082:Colectomy / Q000592:standards*; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones