Dwarfism

In harmonic dwarfism neuroradiological interest is focused particularly on hypopituitarism and MR imaging of the sellar region is suggested as specific anomalies may be identified. Other items of neuroradiological interest are coeliac sprue, precocious puberty and Cushings syndrome, the cause of which again may reside in identifiable hypothalamic/hypophyseal pathology. In disharmonic dwarfism, he diagnosis can often be established by clinical phenotypic features. Among the causes of disharmonic dwarfism, achondroplasia presents particular features that merit neuroradiological investigation and these are discussed in their specific sections (see achondroplasia). Table 1 presents most frequent causes in the two settings.

Dwarfism, Table 1. Principal causes of dwarfism.

HARMONIC DWARFISM
Familial low height
Intrauterine growth defect
hypopituitarism
Cushings syndrome
Exogenous steroid therapy
precocious puberty
Laron's syndrome
Cardiopulmonary diseases
Coeliac disease, and other types of malabsorption
DISHARMONIC DWARFISM
Osteochondrodysplasia
Achondroplasia
Hypothyroidism
Seckel's syndrome
Russel's syndrome
Chromosomal anomalies
Gonadic dysgenesis
Turners syndrome
Mosaicism
Trisomy syndrome
Downs syndrome