MRI Findings of the Pituitary Gland in Children with Growth Hormone Deficiency in Sulaimaniyah City – Iraq

Introduction:One of the most common referrals to pediatric endocrinology clinics is for short stature, with the aim of ruling out growth hormone deficiency (GHD). This study aims to investigate MRI Findings of the Pituitary Gland in Children with GHD, in Sulaimaniyah City – Iraq.Materials and Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Dr. Jamal Ahmed Rashid Pediatric Teaching Hospital, including 90 children (aged 2–16 years) diagnosed with GHD between 2020 and 2024. Demographic, clinical, hormonal, and MRI data were collected and analyzed using SPSS v28.0.Results:Demographic information of 90 children showed that Mean ± SD age of children was 9.47 ± 2.68 years. In terms of sex, 42 (46.7%) children were male and 48 (53.3%) children were female. The mean ± SD age at diagnosis of GHD in the children studied was 6.80 ± 1.92 years. MRI findings showed that the pituitary gland in the pediatric sample was normal in 77 (85.6%) cases. In 3 (3.3%) subjects pituitary hypoplasia was identified. In addition, mixed anomalies including pituitary hypoplasia in association with ectopic posterior pituitary, and pituitary microadenoma were also found in 2 (2.2%) children. MRI findings (brain abnormalities) were normal in 83 (92.2%) children, structural abnormalities in the brain were seen in 5 (5.6%) and midline defects were seen in 2 (2.2%) children.Conclusions:Most children with GHD had normal pituitary MRI, but structural abnormalities correlated with more severe hormonal deficiency and earlier, more severe clinical presentation. MRI is a valuable adjunct but should be interpreted alongside clinical and biochemical assessments.