FINAL HEIGHT OUTCOME IN BOTH UNTREATED AND TESTOSTERONE-TREATED BOYS WITH CONSTITUTIONAL DELAY OF GROWTH AND PUBERTY

The present retrospective study is based on a historical follow-up of 49 boys with constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP) who wen t into puberty spontaneously (27 cases) or induced by depotestosterone treatment, 50 mg/month for 6 months (22 cases), At the time of pubert y the two groups of boys were similar in bone age, height deficiency, target height (TH) and had similar predicted final heights (FH). Their FH was measured and compared with TH calculated from measured parents ' heights. FH did not significantly differ between the untreated boys and those treated, In the two groups of patients FH was similar and co rresponded to both TH and height predicted at puberty onset, This stud y confirms that most boys with CDGP spontaneously attain a FH within t he target range (24/27 cases), A short-term and low dose course of dep otestosterone can be used without adverse effects on FH, The Bayley-Pi nneau method can be generally considered accurate for predicting FH in CDGP, although significant discrepancies between FH and predicted hei ght have been recorded in a fair number of both untreated and treated boys.