POSTTRAUMATIC HYPOPITUITARISM IN CHILDHOO D - 3 CASES

Background. - Hypopituitarism is a rare but well-known complication of cranial trauma. In the absence of overt diabetes insipidus, its recog nition is difficult as the onset of clinical symptoms can be very prog ressive, up to several years. Case reports. - Three children, aged 8, 9 and 2 years, respectively, were admitted after a cranial trauma. Man ifestations of diabetes insipidus occurred a few days later in two pat ients; one of them developed secondary growth hormone deficiency, hypo thyroidism and hypogonadism, only evidenced at the age of 14 years. Th e third patient also developed manifestations of hypothalamic and/or p ituitary hormone deficiencies without diabetes insipidus at the age of 12 years-6 months. MRI showed complete severance of the pituitary sta lk in two patients and absence of posterior pituitary signal in one of the two patients with diabetes insipidus. Conclusion. - Growth disord ers and/or hypogonadism may occur many years after a trauma that may h ave been forgetten. Search for such an etiology and dynamic MRI are ne cessary in identifying heterogenous hypophyseal lesions.