Auxologic parameters and response to 2-year therapy with recombinant human growth hormone in growth hormone deficient children with an ectopic posterior pituitary.

Background: Structural defects of the hypothalamic-pituitary area in MRI are suggested as being a more accurate marker of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) than laboratory assays.

Objective: To compare auxological characteristics in GHD children with normal pituitary (NP) function and with ectopic posterior pituitary (EPP), prior to therapy with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH), extending the follow-up to two years following treatment.

Design: Eighty-six (86) GHD patients were divided into two groups depending on the pituitary MRI: the EPP (23 children, 3.