| Abstract: | Six children, originally regarded as being affected by prepubertal idiopathic growth failure, were found to have pituitary microadenomas. In all six patients, the growth failure (? 2 cm/yr) was the primary clinical sign, and was accompanied by a growth hormone deficiency that was discovered during the laboratory evaluation. Prominent alteration of the sella turcica was not demonstrated in the skull x-ray examinations of any of the children, even when the x-ray examinations were supplemented by hypocycloidal tomography. CT scanning proved to be a very useful integrating diagnostic procedure, revealing the adenoma to be a nodular area of increased density within the sella turcica. In all of the children, resumption of normal growth was obtained following the surgical removal of the tumor through a transsphenoidal approach. |
