Excessive growth in a child with craniopharyngioma and growth hormone deficiency

✍ Scribed by J. M. Wit; A. Schuitema-Dijkstra; S. Buul-Offers; F. Opmeer; J. L. Brande

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 582 KB
• Volume: 147
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0340-6997
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00442487

✦ Synopsis

In a 5-year-old boy presenting with clumsiness and excessive growth, a large craniopharyngioma was diagnosed. Biochemically, there was a deficiency of growth hormone, a hypothalamic hypothyroidism and hypocorticalism, a thyroxine binding globulin elevation, an abnormal gonadotropin secretion and a mild hyperprolactinaemia. After removal of the tumour growth stopped almost completely. Plasma insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I was in the lower normal range. Plasma IGF-II decreased after tumour removal. It is speculated that the tumour produced a growth factor causing excessive growth.