Skull Changes in Pituitary Dwarfism and the Syndrome of Familial Dwarfism with High Plasma Immunoreactive Growth Hormone[nl]- A Roentgenologic Study -

Abstract

Standardized antero-posterior x-rays were performed in several groups of patients with pituitary hormone deficiencies (89 subjects), 200 children with various endocrine or bone diseases, and normal 100 controls. The subjects were divided into three age groups from birth to 20 years and a ratio was calculated by dividing the bicondylar by the biparietal diameter. The mean bic/bip ratios for each diagnostic entity and age group were compared. It was found that in the normal children of both sexes the bic/bip ratios were increased with age. The smallest ratios for each age group were found in the patients with dwarfism due to longstanding, isolated HGH deficiency and in the patients with the syndrome of familial dwarfism and high plasma IR-HGH levels. In panhypopituitarism the ratio was variable. In craniopharyngioma and isolated gonadotropin deficiency it was normal as it was in 21 patients with primary hypothyroidism. In acromegaly the ratio was greater than normal. It was concluded that pituitary growth hormone plays a major role in the development of the bones of the skull base.