TURNER'S SYNDROME*

Abstract

A SYNDROME of decreased stature, sexual infantilism, congenital webbing of the neck and cubitus valgus was described by Turner in 1938 (1). All of his seven patients were females and ranged in height from 50 to 56 inches and were between the ages of 15 and 23 years. All showed evidence of extreme prepuberal hypo-ovarianism for which Turner felt that the anterior pituitary gland was responsible. Roentgenograms showed delayed union of bones and evidence of demineralization in six of his cases. No hormone assays were obtained in his original series. Since Turner's first report, Varney, Kenyon and Koch (1942) reported on the association of short stature, retarded sexual development and high urinary gonadotropin titers in women (2). No congenital anomalies were noted in their series. In the same year, Albright, Smith and Fraser described eleven patients who had a syndrome of primary ovarian insufficiency and decreased stature (3). An excess of urinary gonadotropins was demonstrated in these cases. Furthermore, several of the patients exhibited features similar to those originally described by Turner.