Abstract:

Objective: To investigatethe features of pituitary MRI in different age groups of girls with central precocious puberty (CPP), and to compare the clinical and biochemical parameters and the proportion of abnormal pituitary MRI imaging to provide a clinical basis for exploring the necessity of pituitary MRI in CPP girls. Methods: A total of 474 cases of CPP girls diagnosed in our department from 2013 to 2016 were collected. The average age was (7.90±1.58) years old. Patients were divided into two groups according to age: less than or equal to 6 years old group and greater than 6 years old group. All patients had a complete pituitary MRI plain scan, or plain scan + enhanced MRI. Two radiologists observed the imaging of all these children, and recorded positive and negative findings; and the two groups were compared. Results: Of the 474 CPP girls, 52 (10.9%) had abnormal pituitary MRI findings. There were 2 cases of pituitary MRI abnormalities in the group of children less than or equal to 6 years old, and the 2 cases were diagnosed as hamartoma. There were 50 cases of pituitary MRI abnormalities in the group older than 6 years old. The imaging diagnosis was 1 case of germ cell tumor, 1 case of clear septum cyst, 2 cases of pineal cyst, 19 cases of Rathke cyst, and 27 cases of microadenoma. Among the 11 children who were less than or equal to 6 years old, 2 were positive, and 50 of the 463 children older than 6 years were positive. The chi-square test was not statistically significant (χ²=0.514 4, P>0.05). Conclusions: In children with CPP, there is a certain proportion of abnormal pituitary MRI findings in children before 6 years and after 6 years of age. It is recommended that pituitary MRI should be performed in all the children with CPP.

Key words: Central precocious puberty, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Pituitary