[Optimized diagnostic performance of brain magnetic resonance imaging in children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to search for correlations between anatomic changes in the pituitary gland and hormonal disturbances in children with short stature.


METHODS
Children with short stature were enrolled when criteria of pituitary growth hormone deficiency were partly or completely met. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 87 children and particular attention was given to the pituitary gland. Measurements were compared with pituitary dimensions accepted as normal in the literature. Contrast with GdDTPA was used to visualize the pituitary gland and associated structures (stalk, infundibulum). T1-weighted images in the sagittal and coronal planes were obtained. The results were statistically analyzed with non-parametric tests.


CONCLUSIONS
1. Magnetic resonance imaging is a very sensitive method for detecting changes in the pituitary gland and may well be recommended as a method of choice even though the percentage of changes detected with it is rather small. 2. The use of contrast agent may be abandoned to limit costs when searching for cause of growth deficit in children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency, save for the following cases: hypoplasia or aplasia of the pituitary gland, transection of the stalk, empty sella syndrome or tumor in the central nervous system. 3. Pituitary volume and height appear to be of greatest diagnostic significance, while width (which varies little) can serve as an auxiliary parameter.
Rać
Michał
M
Zakład Diagnostyki Obrazowej i Radiologii Interwencyjnej Pomorskiej Akademii Medycznej ul. Unii Lubelskiej 1, 71-252 Szczecin.
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D006801:Humans; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010900:Pituitary Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010901:Pituitary Function Tests; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000473:pathology*; D011859:Radiography
D003287:Contrast Media; D019382:Human Growth Hormone