What tests should be done for short children?
(1)The first thing to do for short children is to take a left hand bone film to find out the bone age.
(2) A complete physical examination and depending on the situation, blood and urine routine, blood, liver and kidney function, and ion class tests are usually done to rule out some organic diseases.
(3) The following tests are also frequently chosen for children with short stature: ① Thyroid function including thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). In cases of hypothyroidism, the child’s growth is slowed and his or her intelligence is low. The test for thyroid function is to take a venous blood sample in the morning on an empty stomach and send it to the relevant laboratory for measurement.
Growth hormone secretion in human is pulsatile, and the peak of secretion usually occurs one hour after the start of sleep, and very little growth hormone is secreted during the day. The traditional diagnostic method is to apply some drugs that can stimulate growth hormone secretion, and then take blood to measure growth hormone. Because the diagnosis of one drug is not yet reliable, it is necessary to use two drugs and analyze the results of two tests to diagnose pituitary dwarfism. The commonly used growth hormone stimulation tests are: levodopa, insulin, arginine and colistin stimulation tests. Currently there are also simplified to do the compliance test, which is done in 1 day.
③ Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) Some children have normal or elevated growth hormone in their blood, but have decreased IGF-1 levels due to growth hormone receptor defects to rule out Laron (Laron) dwarfism. The test is performed by taking venous blood once in the early morning on an empty stomach and sending it to the relevant laboratory for determination.
In order to exclude congenital ovarian hypoplasia in girls with dwarfism, blood should be taken from a vein for chromosome examination. However, you should contact the genetic laboratory.
⑤ X-ray of butterfly saddle to understand the development of pituitary gland, and CT or MRI of hypothalamus and pituitary area if necessary to exclude intracranial tumor.
(6) According to individual situation, other special tests related to dwarfism can be selected Blood ammonia, urine mucopolysaccharide granule test, long bone film of limbs, etc.