Abstract
The plasma LH, FSH and testosterone response to LH-RH was studied in 12 boys with compensatory testicular hypertrophy (CTH) and normal puberty and in a matched control group with normal testicular development. It was found that the boys with CTH had significantly higher basal plasma testosterone levels. At the same time, the basal plasma FSH level was significantly higher in the boys with CTH than it was in the control group, and this high level persisted throughout the LH-RH test. The response of plasma LH to LH-RH was also markedly greater in the CTH group than it was in the control group.
It is concluded that the normal pubertal process seen in the boys with CTH is the result of a hyperfunction or hypersensitivity of the hypothalamic-hypophyseal axis, which may also be responsible for the prepubertal onset of this phenomenon. The hypothalamic compensatory effort is also associated with some abnormality in the control mechanism of the hypophyseal secretion of gonadotrophins.
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Laron, Z., Dickerman, Z., Pragerr-Lewin, R. et al. PLASMA LH, FSH AND TESTOSTERONE RESPONSE TO LH-RH IN B0YS WITH COMPENSATORY TESTICULAR HYPERTROPHY. Pediatr Res 9, 687 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197508000-00119
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197508000-00119