Height velocity in Argentinean girls with Turner's syndrome

Height velocities from birth to maturity derived from 1049 height increment s measured over intervals 0.85-1.15 years were studied from a sample of 187 patients with Turner's syndrome (TS) diagnosed on the basis of karyotype. Length of follow up in each girl varied from 1.0 to 11.0 years. Cross-secti onal analysis showed a relatively stable growth velocity during pubertal ag es. However, longitudinal analysis of individual growth curves showed the e xistence of a small growth spurt in 37 out of 47 girls with available data during pubertal years. Mean peak height velocity (PHV) of this spurt was 5. 7 cm/year, SD 1.34; mean age at PHV was 12.66 years, SD 1.70. Selected perc entiles were calculated using the least mean squares (LMS) method. Results show that a small growth spurt in girls with TS may be more frequent than p reviously thought.