ESPE Abstracts

Background: The BoneXpert method for automated determination of bone age from hand X-rays is based on machine learning, so it lends itself naturally to be improved by adding more training data and using better learning algorithms. Currently, version 2 is running in 145 hospitals across Europe, and a new version 3 is rolled out in 2019.Objective and Hypotheses: The aim was to validate version 3 against manual ratings in r...

Obesity presents a major worldwide challenge, due to its numerous, severe adverse effects on health. This leads to a necessity to further investigate the mechanisms underlying lipid accumulation. The adipocytokine leptin may contribute to this process. While there already has been thorough research into central leptin action, deepening our understanding of leptin’s effects on whole-body energy homeostasis, relatively little is known about its auto- and paracrine effects....

Background: Somapacitan is a reversible albumin-binding growth hormone (GH) derivative developed for once-weekly administration in patients with GH deficiency (GHD). It consists of a human GH backbone, similar to endogenous human GH, with one amino acid substitution, attached to an albumin binder via a linker chain.Objective: Absorption, metabolism and excretion (AME) of somapacitan were investigated in a Phase 1 trial (...

Background: Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is a male genetic disorder defined by the karyo type 47,XXY. Adult males with KS are at increased risk for osteoporosis, based on androgen deficiency. Androgen replacement is standard in adolescent and adults with KS, but has not been used earlier in childhood. We performed a clinical trial to study the effects of childhood, low-dose androgen replacement on bone density in boys with KS.Objective and hypotheses: To me...

Background: The assessment of bone age increments is important when monitoring treatment in many conditions in pediatric endocrinology. However, manual rating suffers from significant rater variability. Automated bone age assessment could provide increased precision, and also assess increments of bone health index (BHI) from the same X-rays.Objective and hypotheses: To assess the precision of automated assessment of increments of bone age and BHI.<p ...

Background: Simple clinical investigations to differ harmless premature thelarche (PT) from pubertal precocity and other pathological conditions are needed as PT is a common condition in girls under the age of 3–4 year.Objective and hypotheses: Since 17β-oestradiol (17β-E2) is the major driver of breast development, the hypothesis is, that it is possible to define an upper serum 17β-oestradiol (17β-E2) level for harmless PT in gi...

Background: Adult height prediction (AHP) based on bone age appears as an incomplete procedure – it does not reveal the path from the present to the end-point. Growth charts offer little help in this respect because they average over children with different age of growth spurt (AGS).Objective and hypotheses: To extend AHP by also forecasting AGS and the entire height and velocity trajectories until adulthood and displaying this in a growth chart mad...

Purpose: To track the effects of growth hormone on bone geometry and maturation in children with isolated growth hormone deficiency (GHD).Methods: 299 left hand X-rays from 77 short prepubertal children (54 boys and 23 girls) with isolated GHD were analysed for changes in metacarpal thickness, width, length, medullary diameter, the Bone Health Index (BHI) and bone age (BA) from one year preceding until four years after s...

Introduction: Treatment of patients with VSD (Variation of Sex Development), in particular severe hypospadias, is associated with high rate of post-operative complications using current surgical procedures. This leads to a high rate of re-operation in an already emotionally complicated situation. We improved the tissue engineered acellular tubular collagen scaffolds that showed promising results in the rabbit model to implant it to a dog model. This FDA approved new version ac...

Background: Pharmacologic options for treatment of osteolytic diseases especially in children are limited. Although not licensed for use, denosumab, a fully humanized antibody to RANKL, is used in children and shows good effects. Among others, one indication are giant cell tumors of the bone. Yet, there are reports of severe hypercalcemia after stop of denosumab, an adverse effect which is rarely seen in adults.Case reports: Four patients, aged 6, 13 and...