ESTABLISHMENT OF A NORMAL RANGE OF PENILE LENGTH IN PRETERM INFANTS

Rationale: Recognition of micropenis is important because it may be th e only obvious manifestation of pituitary or hypothalamic hormone defi ciencies. Alternatively it may indicate the presence of dysgenetic tes ticular tissue with malignant potential. Previously published normal r anges for premature males are based on smalt sample sizes, with few in fants <30 weeks and none <28 weeks. Setting: Intensive and Special Car e Nurseries, Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria. Subjects: 18 8 consecutive male infants, inborn and outborn, with gestational age < 37 completed weeks were examined in the first week of life. They inclu ded multiple births (n=51) and small for gestational age infants (n=16 ). Infants with hypospadias (n=3) or an endocrine disorder (n=1) were excluded from the study. Manoeuvre: Stretched penile length was determ ined by a single examiner (RT) using a standardized measure. Results: A mean penile length with associated 95% confidence intervals is descr ibed for infants between 24 and 36 weeks inclusive. The relationship b etween penile length (PL, cm) and gestational age (GA, weeks) was: PL= 2.27+0.16 GA. Conclusion: This study confirms the normal range for pen ile length of premature male infants 30-36 weeks and defines the norma l range <30 weeks. This should prove useful to paediatricians, paediat ric surgeons and endocrinologists dealing with the increasing number o f surviving male infants <30 weeks in whom penile size is questioned.