ESPE Abstracts

Background and Aim: Recombinant growth hormone (GH) is reimbursed for the treatment of short stature (<-2.5 Z-score) in children born small for gestational age (SGA) without postnatal growth, aged ≥ 4 years with a height Z-score >1 below mid-parental height (MPH). We wanted to determine the current GH prescribing practices by pediatric endocrinologists (PE) for SGA related short stature and document the percentages of treated children at risk for...

Background/Aims: Cryptorchidism or undescended testis is a prevalent congenital urogenital condition affecting male newborns with an incidence rate ranging from 1.0 to 4.6%. Mouse models have implicated INSL3 and its receptor RXFP2 (formerly known as GREAT or LGR8) in the development of the condition. RXFP2 acts as a G protein-coupled receptor that triggers the generation of cAMP by binding INSL3. But despite the established role in testicular descent, so far ...

Background: Patients with disorders of sex development (DSD) require multidisciplinary team management for etiology identification and gender assignment. Identification of mullerian structures is an important part of the evaluation process. Ultrasonography remains the first-line imaging modality to delineate mullerian structures; while the importance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is insufficiently studied.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the d...

Background: In the optimal care of children with DSD, it is considered good practice to work within a multidisciplinary team (MDT) and engage in opportunities for professional development.Method: To explore the current models of MDT practice and the extent of professional development in specialist DSD centres, an international survey of 124 paediatric endocrinologists, identified through DSDnet and the I-DSD Registry, was performed in 2014.<p class="...

Background: The approach to investigating a newborn with a suspected DSD is likely to vary between centres and may be influenced by local availability.Method: To explore the current diagnostic practice and needs, an international survey of 124 paediatric endocrinologists, identified through DSDnet and the I-DSD Registry, was performed in 2014.Results: A total of 77/124 (62%) clinicians, in 74 centres, from 38/42 (91%) countries res...

Purpose: Patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) show low fitness levels before GH treatment is started. Muscular strength, flexibility and postural stability are related to health and quality of life. Since it is widely recognized that physical activity increases GH secretion and GH could ameliorate fitness, if a high adherence to treatment is documented (1), the purpose of this study is to investigate any difference on posturographic parameters and mus...

Purpose: Needs in terms of quality of life (QoL), consisting of physical, emotional and social domains, represent a hot spot in idiopathic short stature (ISS). Between ISS, it is estimated that 12% can have SHOX deficiency. Furthermore, SHOX deficiency can affect posture and GH treatment ameliorate their QoL. Although scientific research has investigated many fields of the physical domain, very few studies highlighted how this pathological condition may af...

Objective: Acute adrenal crisis is one of the main concerns in children with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). The aim of this study was to evaluate hypoglycemic and salt-wasting episodes in children with an established diagnosis of classic 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) after start of treatment.Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted for 85 patients with classic CAH (68 salt-wasting and 17 simple virilizing), aged 1 to...

Objectives: To assess the prevalence and risk factors of Adrenal crisis (AC) events in children with Adrenal insufficiency (AI) and to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment for preventing AC.Methods: Children diagnosed with AI between 1990 and 2017 and treated with glucocorticoids at four pediatric endocrinology units in Israel were studied. Data were retrieved retrospectively from the patients’ files and they included demographic factors (age...

Poland’s syndrome is characterised by unilateral absence or hypoplasia of the pectoralis muscle, associated with the ipsilateral malformation of the hand. The syndrome is usually sporadic and occurs in about 1:32.000 live births. Poland’s syndrome has been described associated with other abnormalities, including renal aplasia or hypoplasia, hemivertebra, Klippel-Feil syndrome and Moebius’ syndrome. In literature are reported six cases of Moebius syndrome associa...