BONE-AGE AT DISCONTINUATION OF MEDROXYPROGESTERONE ACETATE THERAPY INGIRLS WITH PRECOCIOUS PUBERTY - EFFECT ON FINAL HEIGHT

To determine the final height of patients with precocious pubery treat ed with medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA; 150 mg every week) for a per iod >1 year (mean +/- SD = 3.24 +/- 1.85 years), data from a group of 26 girls were analyzed. The attained final height was 155.6 +/- 8.06 c m (-1.1 SD of the normal population). In a group of 8 untreated girls with precocious puberty, adult height was 149.2 +/- 5.07 (-2.16 SD, p < 0.02). In 9 patients in whom treatment was stopped at a bone age les s than or equal to 12 years, final height was 159.2 +/- 10.05 cm, whil e in 16 girls who had a bone age >12 years at the end of treatment, th e final height was 153.03 +/- 6.28 cm. Our data demonstrate the effect iveness of MPA treatment on ultimate height. The better height observe d in those patients who stopped treatment with a bone age < 12 years s uggests the advantage of discontinuing therapy before reaching a more advanced degree of skeletal maturation.