title: Pelvic ultrasound and color Doppler findings in different isosexual precocities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the role of ultrasound and color Doppler analyses in improving the differential diagnosis of pubertal precocities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-nine girls with premature (<8 years old) breast development and/or pubic hair growth underwent: auxological (height, weight, body mass index, skeletal maturation), hormonal (basal, gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)-test, adrenocorticotropic hormone test), and sonographic (uterine and ovarian volume and endometrial echo) including color Doppler (uterine arteries) evaluations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The uterine size was greater in girls with a pubertal response to the GnRH test (Group II, n = 16; 7.48 +/- 4.18 mL) than in those with a prepubertal response to the GnRH test (Group I, n = 17; 3.02 +/- 1.36 mL; P = 0.006), an isolated pubarche (Group III; n = 20; 2.58 +/- 1.32 mL; P < 0.001) or an isolated thelarche (Group IV, n = 16; 1.82 +/- 1.07 mL; P < 0.001). Endometrial echo was observed in 87.5%, 29.4% and 5% of girls, respectively, in Groups II, I and III. The Doppler analysis of the uterine arteries showed the lowest impedance to be in patients with a pubertal response to the GnRH test (Group II).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sonographic and color Doppler parameters may improve the diagnosis of GnRH-dependent precocious puberty and may be useful to determine which girls need treatment.
authors.affiliation: III Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. battaglia@med.unibo.it
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Battaglia
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Regnani
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Persico
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iughetti
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Aloysio
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D018579:Patient Selection; D010388:Pelvis; D011629:Puberty, Precocious / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods; D014599:Uterus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone