No abstract

Growth hormone releasing factor (GRF) as a test of pituitary reserve of growth hormone (hGH)Several non specific non physiological stimulatory test are used in the study of pituitary capacity to secrete hGH but none of them is completely reliable. We have used intravenous GRF (1 fjg xkg body weight) in 6 short stature but endocrinologically normal children and in 4 patients with proven hGH deficiency. The maximal plasma hGH concentration reached during the test was 47.4 ± 15.4 ng x ml in the normal children. Three of the hGH deficient patients did not respond to this provocative test; the fourth patient showed a blunted response (5.3ng x ml), suggesting a hypothalamic origin of his deficiency. GRF should be considered a good test for the diagnosis of hGH deficiency and one of the modes of therapy of this disorder in the future. (