Acromegaly in preadolescence: A case report of a 9-year-old boy with acromegaly

Tobechi Mbadugha; Toshihiro Ogiwara; Alhusain Nagm; Takatoshi Hasegawa; Keisuke Kamiya; Yuki Matsumoto; Mikiko Kobayashi; Kazuhiro Hongo

doi:10.25259/SNI_474_2019

Acromegaly in preadolescence: A case report of a 9-year-old boy with acromegaly

Surg Neurol Int. 2020 Apr 4:11:61. doi: 10.25259/SNI_474_2019. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Tobechi Mbadugha¹, Toshihiro Ogiwara¹, Alhusain Nagm¹, Takatoshi Hasegawa¹, Keisuke Kamiya¹, Yuki Matsumoto², Mikiko Kobayashi², Kazuhiro Hongo¹

Affiliations

¹ Departments of Neurosurgery, Shinshu University, School of Medicine, Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan.
² Departments of Pathology, Shinshu University, School of Medicine, Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan.

Abstract

Background: Acromegaly has been reported in adolescents and young adults, but it is unusual in preadolescence. Diagnosis and management pose different challenges in this age group. Here, we present a rare case of acromegaly in preadolescence.

Case description: A 9-year-old boy presented with acromegalic features and MRI revealed a pituitary tumor. He was diagnosed as having growth hormone secreting pituitary adenoma based on the multidisciplinary assessment, and underwent gross total tumor resection through an endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) with subsequent normalization of the hormonal parameters.

Conclusions: Advances in EEA have made safe removal and cure possible even in children. However, long- term follow-up is needed in such younger patients with multidisciplinary management by neurosurgeons, endocrinologists, pediatricians, and ENT surgeons.

Keywords: Acromegaly; Endoscopic endonasal approach; Growth hormone secreting pituitary adenoma; Preadolescence.

Publication types

Case Reports