[Effects of bromocriptine on bone maturation in tall adolescents. Comparison of the Greulich-Pyle and Tanner TW 2 RUS
Abstract:
The effect of bromocriptine 7.5 mg/day for 8 to 14 months on bone maturation has been studied in 33 excessively tall adolescents (25 females and 8 males aged 11 to 16 years, at pubertal stages P2 - P3), using comparatively the atlas of Greulich and Pyle and the RUS method of Tanner and Whitehouse. With the Greulich and Pyle evaluation, bone age was very significantly increased during treatment: p less than 0.001 in females, p less than 0.01 in males. The RUS method gave significantly greater evaluation of bone age (p less than 0.001), so that the treatment-induced acceleration of bone maturation was less significant: p less than 0.01 in females, NS in males. These data confirm that bromocriptine in constitutionally tall adolescents acts mainly through an increase of pubertal bone maturation. Moreover they point out once again the difficulties and discrepancies of height prediction.
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