A problem-oriented approach to the imaging of pediatric endocrine disorders

This review will discuss six of the more common problems in pedatric endocrinology. These problems are presented to pediatricians and endocrinologists almost daily, and well-established clinical and laboratory methods are available for their evaluation. The purpose of this review is to familiarize radiologists and ultrasonographers with these problems and their possible etiologies so that they may help the clinician by correctly imaging the various endocrine glands in question. The six problems under discussion are obesity, underweight, gigantism, growth failure, precocious sexual development, and retarded sexual development. Detailed discussion of the radiologic and sonographic findings of specific organ pathologies will not be reviewed in this article. The reader is instructed to consult other imaging texts and articles (many in this volume) for specific imaging findings.