ESPE Abstracts

Background: A reduced GH response to different stimulation tests have been documented in both children and adults with Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS), independently from obesity. Previous reports suggested the hypothesis of an age dependent derangement of the hypothalamus–pituitary axis occurring in PWS subjects.Objective and hypotheses: In this longitudinal study we re-evaluated the GH responsiveness to a combined test after long-term GH therapy ...

Background: Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B is a rare genetic syndrome caused by germline mutations in the RET proto-oncogene. Approximately 75% of MEN2B cases are sporadic and caused by de novo RET mutations, whereas 25% of cases occurs in families with an autosomal dominant inheritance. The most common RET mutation found in 95% of MEN2B patients is the substitution of the amino-acid threonine for methionine at codon 918. In infants with de novo mutation...

Background: Terminal or interstitial deletions of Xp (Xp22.2→Xpter) in males have been recognized as a cause of contiguous gene syndromes showing variable association of apparently unrelated clinical manifestations such as Leri-Weill dyschondrosteosis (SHOX), chondrodysplasia punctata (ARSE), mental retardation (NLGN4), ichthyosis (STS), Kallmann syndrome (KAL1), and ocular albinism (GPR143).Case reports: We report ...

Background: Denosumab is a new class of antiresorptive medication and a fully human monoclonal antibody of the IgG2 immunoglobulin isotype to RANKL. In fact, it binds with high affinity and specificity to RANKL, mimicking the inhibitory effects of Osteoprotegerin, resulting in rapid suppression of bone resorption. Denosumab is commonly used also in pediatric age for treatment of osteoporosis, malignancies, and other benign bone lesions, such as fibrous dysplas...

Background: Improved tools for diagnosis, a higher malignancy risk in thyroid nodules and the referral to surgery in Grave’s disease when medication fails, have lead to increased thyroidectomies in children.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of our study was to evaluate thyroid surgery outcomes and the presence of transient or permanent complications, in a cohort of children who underwent surgery, with the same surgical team, in the last 10 years.</p...

Background: Low birth weight is associated with cardiometabolic risk in adulthood. To date, there is no evidence of a relationship between birth length and metabolic risk.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the relationship between birth size and risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in obese children.Method: 41 obese children were studied (23 females/18 males, 13.2±1.26 years). All patients underwent anthropometric, biochemical...

Background: The treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma still represents a clinical challenge in pediatric oncology. About 50% of children survive after a multimodal treatment based on conventional and high dose chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, differentiating treatment and immunotherapy.Aim: To evaluate endocrine long-term sequels in a pediatric cohort with high-risk neuroblastoma.Patient...

Background: Intrathyroidal ectopic thymus (IET) represents a relatively rare embryologic anomaly, often discovered incidentally in paediatric patients. The long-term outcome of IET is not completely clear and differentiation from thyroid nodules is crucial to prevent invasive diagnostic procedures and/or unnecessary surgical interventions. This prospective observational study aims to elucidate the clinical characteristics, diagnostic workup, and long-term outc...

We report and discuss a case of a girl who at birth underwent surgery for Hirschsprung Disease (HD). To closely investigate her condition, we used a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) panel to carry out a study of some of the genes known as being associated with congenital megacolon (PHOX-2B, RET, EDN3, GDNF, ASCL1 and BDNF). This analysis showed a maternally inherited heterozygous variant in the RET protooncogene (c.734T>A, p.Val245Glu), which is not described in the scienti...

Thyroid nodules are rare in pediatric age with an incidence of 1.8–3%. However, the risk of thyroid cancer is much higher in the pediatric population compared with adults. Among the pediatric cancer survivors there is an increased risk of developing a secondary malignancy and the thyroid cancers account for about 10% of these secondary tumors. From 2004 to 2017, we have recruited 43 patients (22 females; 21 males) with thyroid nodules among a population who had presented ...