Clinical Analysis of Short Stature

ABSTRACT

Adequate growth is the most importment and principal factor in the fields of pediatrics and also it is great concern to all parents. There are many causes of short stature, secondary to a variety of causes. Clinical evaluation of short stature requires a wide variety of clinical, radiographic, pathologic, and biochemical tools. The most important thing is early and accurate diagnosis of disease. As a first step to do so, we performed the clinical analysis of 25 short statured children who had been admitted to Severance Hospital in recent 10 years. Results were as follows; 1) In 25 cases, male were 11 and female were 14 cases. Etiologically, contitutional slow growth 2, mongolism 1, gargoylism 3, achondroplasia 3, spondylometaphyseal dsplasia 1, cretinism 12, and pitutary dwarfism 3 cases.2) Chronological age at the beginning of diagnostic approach were generally delayed. 3) Height age and bone age of dwarfism were markedly retarded than chronological age wheras weight age showed no specific relationship except in case of malnutrition. 4) skeletal dysplasia and endocrine dwarfism, bone age was retarded than height age. But in constitutional slow growth, discrepancy was not marked. 5) Head circumference in each type of short stature was variable. 6) Diagnostic methods include measurement of height and bone age, X-ray, thyroid function test, growth hormone stimulation test and chromosome study.