ESPE Abstracts

Background: We investigate the efficacy and safety of two different treatments which have not been evaluated in peri-puberty boys with HH.

Objective and hypotheses: To assess the effectiveness and safety of pulsatile GnRH or hCG treatment in adolescent boys with hypogonadotropic hypogonadodism.

Method: 12 patients received 8–10 μg of GnRH, subcutaneously injected every 90 min using a pump. Another 22 patients received hCG, which was injected intramuscularly as follows: for the first three months, 1000 IU of hCG was injected two times per week, then once every other day for the next 3 months. The dose of hCG was increased to 2000 IU after 6 month treatment and the above cycle was repeated for another 6 months. All patients were treated for 12–14 months and followed up every 3 months.

Results: Patients treated with GnRH showed larger testes than those treated with hCG. Patients in both groups showed increased length of penis, however the differences were not statistically significant, compared to the pretreatment groups. Testosterone levels were significantly increased in both groups, compared to the pretreatment group, but the difference of two groups was not statistically significant. There was no significant difference in side effects associated with the two treatments.

Conclusion: Adolescent boys with HH may be effectively treated with pulsatile GnRH. We suggested that GnRH exhibits higher efficacy in treating adolescent boys with HH than hCG.