MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF THE BRAIN AND PITUITARY GLAND IN CHILDREN WITH PUBERTY RELATED DISTURBANCES

Central precocious and delayed puberty are prevalent pediatric endocrinological disorders which can have a substantial effect on the physical and mental health of affected children which necessitates its adequate studying to improve the quality of care provided to the affected children.Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an innovative technique in the evaluation of affected children which can help unveil their underlying organic intracranial pathology which occur in varying incidencies in different genders and ages and therefore, routing evaluation of all affected children by MRI has longly been debatable.AIM:The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of intra cranial abnormalities detected by magnetic resonance imaging in cases with central precocious or delayed puberty and assess their nature, ratio and correlate the clinical data to radiologic findings.PATIENT AND METHODS:Patients: The study was carried during the period between April and December 2024, and included (75) children; (44) cases with precocious puberty and (31) cases with delayed puberty referred to Alexandria Main University Hospital, Radiology department for brain and pituitary MRI evaluation.Methods: All patients were subjected to: History taking with special emphasis on the appearance, timing and course of markers of puberty, past or ongoing treatments and neurological symptoms, Thorough clinical, neurological and psychological examination with plotting height, weight and body mass index on growth curves and recording the patient's sexual maturity rating, Laboratory testing particularly serum levels of FSH, LH and testosterone in boys or estradiol in girls as well as thyroid function tests.