Evaluation of visceral adipose tissue thickness in precocious puberty

S.D. Taşolar, A. Siğirci, N. Çiftçi, A. Cengiz, G.M. Doğan, A. Akinci

Department of Pediatric Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey. drsevgidemiroz@gmail.com

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• Obesity
• Pediatrics

OBJECTIVE: Although there is a relationship between earlier onset of puberty and increased adiposity tissue. Publications in the literature on adiposis in patients with central precocious puberty (CPP) and visceral fat thickness (VFT) have conflicting results. So, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between sexual maturation and obesity in the development of early puberty and to examine their relationship with pelvic sonographic parameters.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 126 girls [patients – premature thelarche (PT) and CPP – and controls] were included in this study. Anthropometric and ultrasonographic evaluations were made by the same pediatric endocrinologist and pediatric radiologist, respectively. Pubertal stages were made according to the Tanner stages. Height, weight, and body mass index were measured as anthropometric measurements, and visceral, subcutaneous, and transabdominal fat thicknesses were measured in sonographic evaluation.

RESULTS: The study population was divided into three groups: 44 healthy subjects to Group 1, 23 patients with PT to Group 2, and 59 patients with CPP to Group 3. When we evaluated the anthropometric and ultrasonographic parameters according to pubertal status, significant differences, especially between Group 1 and Group 3, were observed in all data. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, the endometrial thickness (OR = 7.521, p < 0.001) and VFT (OR = 1.530, p < 0.001) were found to be independent predictors of precocious puberty.

CONCLUSIONS: It has been found that VFT and endometrial thickness measurements, which are evaluated quickly and accurately by USG, are important predictors of prepubertal precociousness.

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