Comparison of short-term lower leg growth with statural growth in children treated with growth promoting substances

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Endocrinology
• Growth Medicine

Background:

• Children with short stature often undergo growth-promoting drug therapy.
• Monitoring treatment efficacy is crucial for optimizing pediatric growth outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the utility of knemometry in evaluating lower leg growth response during growth-promoting drug therapy in children with short stature.
• To correlate lower leg growth velocity with overall body height changes.

Main Methods:

• Knemometry was used to measure lower leg length in 11 children before and during growth-promoting therapy.
• Growth velocities were compared over 6-week periods for lower leg length.
• Body height growth velocity during 3 months of therapy was compared to the year prior.

Main Results:

• Significant knemometric (lower leg) growth responses consistently correlated with positive height responses.
• Smaller knemometric growth responses were associated with both positive and negative changes in total body height.
• This suggests knemometry can indicate treatment effectiveness, but interpretation requires considering overall height changes.

Conclusions:

• Knemometry is a valuable tool for assessing lower leg growth response in children undergoing growth-promoting therapy.
• While significant leg growth indicates positive height response, smaller responses necessitate evaluation of total body height changes for a comprehensive assessment of treatment efficacy.