Ultrasonic evaluation of thelarche grading in 2–8-year-old obese girls suspected of precocious puberty

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity in children is increasing. In obese children, clinical examination alone is not sufficient to differentiate lipomastia from thelarche. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of true thelarche in obese girls suspected of precocious puberty. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 100 obese girls between the ages of 2 and 8 years were screened. Maturity stages were determined based on the Tanner scale in the questionnaire. Breast ultrasound was performed for all cases. Other uterine and ovarian laboratory tests, including blood tests to determine plasma levels of LH, FSH, oestradiol, and bone age, were also performed. RESULTS: In ultrasonography examination of 80 children (80%), one breast was pubertal and in 72 people both breasts were pubertal in which ultrasonography of 78 children showed puberty of right breast and 74 children showed puberty of left breast. Twenty children showed bilateral lipomastia. In clinical examination, breasts of 18.9% children seemed lipoid, 35.8% children were seriously suspicious, and 45.3% children seemed pubescent. In pelvic ultrasound, the relationship between ovarian volume and breast ultrasound grade was significant, but uterine volume was not significantly related to breast ultrasound grade. Also, uterine volume with age at ultrasonography, bone age, birth height, left ovarian volume, right ovarian volume, right breast bud diameter, and left breast bud diameter were correlated. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound can help obese or overweight children to differentiate between true thelarche and lipomastia. The study also found that most suspected children had true thelarche.