[Reduction of body height in tall girls by estrogen treatment]

Twenty-six girls with constitutional tall stature were treated with 0.5 mg ethinyloestradiol daily po and 10 mg norethisteronacetate from day 21 to 25 of the cycle for 1.4 +/- 0.4 years. Height, weight, bone age according to Greulich-Pyle (GP) and Tanner (RUS), height predictions according to Bayley Pinneau (BP) and Tanner Whitehouse (TW) were recorded at the onset of therapy, at the end of treatment and 7.4 years later. The mean chronological age at start of treatment was 12.6 +/- 1.1 years, bone age (GP) 12.4 +/- 0.7 years, (RUS) 13.5 +/- 0.7 years. The initial height prediction according to BP was 186.2 +/- 4.1 cm, which was 3.5 cm higher than the prognosis according to Tanner Whitehouse. Depending on the method used for height prediction, the height reduction by treatment was 4.6 +/- 3.0 cm (BP) or 1.4 +/- 2.2 cm (TW), respectively. The reduction of predicted height was more pronounced in girls with a bone age (GP) < 12.5 years at the initiation of therapy (n = 13), than in girls with a bone age > or = 12.5 years (n = 13). Final height was measured 7.4 years after the end of treatment. Chronological age: 21.3 +/- 3.7 years, final height 181.8 +/- 3.7 cm. Mean final height after therapy was 7.7 cm above target height, or, after allowance for the secular trend, 3.8 cm above target height. Body weight, recorded in centiles of body mass index, increased from the 38.5 +/- 26 to the 58.1 +/- 22 centile, weight gain was more pronounced in younger girls. At follow up investigation 18/19 girls, who answered a questionnaire, had a positive view of the previous treatment.