Empty sella, growth hormone deficiency and pseudotumour cerebri: effect of initiation, withdrawal and resumption of growth hormone therapy.
An 11-year-old boy with normal visus and eye fundus, but with empty sella, growth hormone (GH) deficiency and central diabetes insipidus was found to have intracranial hypertension with papilloedema after 6 months of catch-up growth under recombinant human GH (rhGH) replacement therapy. Withdrawal of rhGH therapy was associated with normalisation of intracranial pressure within 1 week. Three months later, resumption of rhGH therapy at a lower dose was again followed by pronounced growth acceleration, but now without papilloedema.


CONCLUSIONS
Children with empty sella and GH deficiency may be prone to rhGH-induced pseudotumour cerebri which appears to be rapidly reversible and dose-dependent.
Francois
I
I
Department of Paediatrics, U. Z. Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium.
Casteels
I
I
Silberstein
J
J
Casaer
P
P
de Zegher
F
F
D002648:Child; D003919:Diabetes Insipidus / Q000150:complications; D004652:Empty Sella Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011559:Pseudotumor Cerebri / Q000209:etiology*
D013006:Growth Hormone