Pituitary microadenomas in children: a cause of growth failure.
Six children, originally regarded as being affected by prepubertal idiopathic growth failure, were found to have pituitary microadenomas. In all six patients, the growth failure (less than or equal to 2 cm/yr) was the primary clinical sign, and was accompanied by a growth hormone deficiency that was discovered during the laboratory evaluation. Prominent alteration of the sella turcica was not demonstrated in the skull x-ray examinations of any of the children, even when the x-ray examinations were supplemented by hypocycloidal tomography. CT scanning proved to be a very useful integrating diagnostic procedure, revealing the adenoma to be a nodular area of increased density within the sella turcica. In all of the children, resumption of normal growth was obtained following the surgical removal of the tumor through a transsphenoidal approach.