Children with craniopharyngioma resection had better response to recombinant human growth hormone therapy than those with idiopathic short stature

Objective To compare growth response and rhGH dosage requirements between children with craniopharyngioma post-resection (CP group, n=18) and those with idiopathic short stature (ISS group, n=18). Methods A retrospective analysis (2010–2020) was conducted on pediatric patients who received rhGH therapy. Key parameters compared between CP and ISS groups included: growth velocity (GV), rhGH dose (IU/kg/d), height, height standard deviation score (HtSDS), IGF-1 standard deviation score (IGF-1 SDS), body mass index (BMI), bone age (BA) and bone age to chronological age ratio (BA/CA). Results CP patients were older at baseline with lower HtSDS and BA/CA. Both groups had similar annual growth velocities over three years. The CP group achieved comparable height gains with half the rhGH dose of the ISS group. IGF-1 SDS increased in CP but decreased in ISS, normalizing in both. Long-term, CP patients maintained lower BA/CA and achieved higher terminal height. Conclusion In this observational cohort, children with CP received approximately half the rhGH dose used in children with ISS, yet achieved comparable growth velocity and greater near-adult height.