ESPE Abstracts

Background: Van Wyk Grumbach (VWG) and Kocher Debre Semelaigne (KDS) syndromes are rare syndromes with clinical manifestation of hypothyroidism associated with precious pseudo puberty and myopathic pseudomuscular hypertrophy. We present two cases that have the characteristic of both VWGS and KDSS syndromes developed in association with a long-term untreated hypothyroidism.Case 1: Seventeen years old girl was referred to our hospital due to menstrual irre...

Background: Ellis van Creveld syndrome (EVC) (chondroectodermal dysplasia) is a rare, multisystem disorder. It probably affects only around 1 in every 150,000 individuals. It is characterized by a long, narrow trunk and shortened arms and legs; extra fingers (postaxial polydactyly), and abnormalities of the oral region and teeth. In infants, non-bony manifestations, particularly congenital heart defects, may be health or life-threatening.Case presentatio...

Background: The syndrome consisting of primary hypothyroidism, precocious puberty, and massive ovarian cysts was termed Van Wyk and Grumbach syndrome (VWGS) in 1960. Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis is the more common cause of hypothyroidism in children. In patients with severe longstanding hypothyroidism, the sella turcica may be enlarged due to thyrotrope hyperplasia. Puberty tends to be delayed in hypothyroid children in proportion to the retardation in the bone age, althoug...

Introduction: Among children with short stature, some show persistent IGF-I levels <-2.0 SDS despite a normal growth hormone (GH) response in a stimulation test. This may be caused by conditions that could benefit from recombinant human GH (rhGH) therapy (e.g. GH neurosecretory dysfunction, bioinactive GH, partial GH insensitivity). Therefore, the IGF-I generation test (IGFIGT) was implemented in 2006 using a national, standardized protocol. Children with a...

Background: Long-term outcome studies on bilateral testicular regression (BTR) are currently lacking, hampering counseling of patients and parents. Although a vascular origin was initially reported, recent studies revealed a genetic origin in a subset of patients (i.e. DHX37 gene variants). How this relates to patient outcomes remains unclear.Methods: Thirty-five patients with BTR were recruited in eight Belgian centers ...

Background: Bilateral testicular regression (BTR) is characterized by the absence of both testicles in a newborn male or shortly thereafter, and presenting as bilateral cryptorchidism with undetectable AMH levels and the absence of Müllerian structures on pelvic ultrasound. Depending on when the regression occurs during fetal development, the condition can be associated with a micropenis. Few studies have explored the etiology and long-term outcome of BTR...

Background: Acquired hypothalamic dysfunction (HD) in children following suprasellar brain tumor treatment may be caused by the tumor or its treatment (neurosurgery, radiotherapy). Rapid weight gain, obesity and pituitary dysfunction are readily recognized as symptoms of HD, however HD knows other signs and symptoms such as hypothermia, adipsia and behavioral problems. In our clinical experience, signs and symptoms of HD may differ per tumor type and the treat...

Background: Wolfram syndrome features diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic nerve atrophy, and deafness (DIDMOAD). Especially the neurological degeneration usually leads to a very poor prognosis. We present two cases of Wolfram syndrome, an autosomal dominant and an autosomal recessive type, caused by heterozygous mutations in the WFS1 gene.Case report: Case 1: a 13-year-old girl with a history of progressive sensorineuronal hearing loss ...

Background: Pseudohypoparathyroidism represents a group of clinical and molecular heterogeneous disorders, characterized by functional hypoparathyroidism, caused by end-organ resistance to the action of PTH. Pseudohypoparathyroidism manifests as hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia and elevated plasma levels of PTH. A combination of features, also known as Albright osteodystrophy including disproportionate short stature, obesity, dysmorphia, may co-exist.Case...

Background: Human scalp hair is a valuable matrix for determining long-term cortisol concentrations, with wide-spread applicability in clinical care as well as research. However, pediatric reference intervals are lacking.The aim of this study is to establish age-adjusted reference intervals for hair cortisol in children aged 0-18 years and to gain insight into hair-growth velocity in children up to 2 years old.Methods: A...