FINAL HEIGHT IN GIRLS WITH CENTRAL PRECOCIOUS PUBERTY - COMPARISON OF2 DIFFERENT LUTEINIZING-HORMONE-RELEASING HORMONE AGONIST TREATMENTS

In order to evaluate the effects of two long-acting luteinizing hormon e-releasing hormone agonists on growth, bone maturation and final heig ht in girls with central precocious puberty, we analyzed growth data f rom 40 girls (15 treated with buserelin intranasal spray (group A), 15 treated with triptorelin depot im every 28 days (group B) and 10 untr eated (group C)). Patients in group A started treatment when chronolog ical age (CA) was 7.7 +/- 0.9 years, bone age (BA) was 10.2 +/- 1.1 ye ars and height was 131.9 +/- 5.0 cm. Patients in group B started thera py when CA was 7.6 +/- 0.5 years, BA 9.8 +/- 1.0 years and height 133. 2 +/- 7.6 cm. The diagnosis of untreated patients (group C) was made w hen CA was 7.2 +/- 0.9 years, BA 9.6 +/- 2.2 years and height 130.2 +/ - 8.6 cm. Both luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists appeared to control precocious puberty. Final height in group B (160.6 +/- 5.7 cm) was significantly higher than that of group A (153.2 +/- 5.0 cm: p < 0.05) and group C (149.6 +/- 6.3; p < 0.01), whereas the differenc e between groups A and C was not statistically significant. In group B a positive difference was observed between final height (160.6 +/- 5. 7 cm) and target height (157.6 +/- 5.9 cm) (ns); on the contrary, in g roups A and C, final height was lower than target height (155.5 +/- 5. 3 and 156.4 +/- 1.3 cm, respectively), but only in group C the differe nce was statistically significant (p < 0.01). The best results regardi ng final height obtained by slow-release depot im therapy may be assoc iated with more stable agonist blood levels during treatment.