Penile diameter during puberty in boys: a retrospective analysis of longitudinally obtained data
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Reuben D. Rohn
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Amy M. Perkins
Abstract
Objectives
Tanner staging is the standard for rating sexual maturation (SMR) in boys (pubic hair (PH) and genital (G) development). G staging is tripartite in nature and is prone to ambiguity because it is based upon somewhat vague visual cues that may lead to erroneous assessments and medical errors. Measurement of penile growth (penile girth or diameter) may provide an additional tool (in addition to the orchidometer) to make G staging more valid. Although studies on penile growth (either circumference of width) have been reported, none were longitudinal. Therefore, our objective was to compare penile development in boys – measured as penile diameter (PD) – to PH stage and testicular volume (TV) and secondarily to G stage; moreover, to do so on a longitudinal basis.
Methods
Charts of 61 boys, ages 6–21 years of age, who were seen longitudinally, were reviewed. Each boy had his PD and TV measured along with his PH and G stage assessed on a quarterly to semi-annual basis.
Results
PD increased significantly among PH stages II, III, and IV only. PD increased significantly among G stages I, II, III and IV only. PD correlated well with TV. There were significant correlations between PD and TV in all PH stages. However, for G stage correlations were not significant for stages II, III, and IV. PH stage was a better predictor of PD than G stage.
Conclusions
Measuring PD may be another tool to help in objectifying male SMR during puberty and overcome the vagueness encountered with the visual SMR G stage scales.
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Research funding: None declared.
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Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.
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Informed consent: Informed consent was not obtained from all individuals included in this study. We received a waiver of consent from the IRB.
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Ethical approval: The local Institutional Review Board did not deem the study exempt from review. The IRB reviewed and approved this as a research study with a waiver of consent.
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© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Disorders of sex development – biologic, genetic, cultural, societal, and psychologic diversity of the human nature
- Review
- Diagnostic approach in 46, XY DSD: an endocrine society of bengal (ESB) consensus statement
- Original Articles
- Penile diameter during puberty in boys: a retrospective analysis of longitudinally obtained data
- Evaluation of bladder dysfunction in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus by uroflowmetry
- All aspects of galactosemia: a single center experience
- The evolution of pituitary cysts in growth hormone-treated children
- Phototherapy-induced hypocalcemia and hypoparathyroidism in icteric term newborns
- Clinical and laboratory evaluation of children with congenital hyperinsulinism: a single center experience
- Does cystatin C have an immunomodulatory role in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis?
- Molecular genetic etiology by whole exome sequence analysis in cases with familial type 1 diabetes mellitus without HLA haplotype predisposition or incomplete predisposition
- Features of BSCL2 related congenital generalized lipodystrophy in China: long-term follow-up of three patients and literature review
- Case Reports
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia with a CYP21A2 deletion overlapping the tenascin-X gene: an atypical presentation
- The smallest dislocated microduplication of Xq27.1 harboring SOX3 gene associated with XX male phenotype
- Rare PHEX intron variant causes complete and severe phenotype in a family with hypophosphatemic rickets: a case report
- Human chorionic gonadotrophin secreting adrenocortical neoplasm presenting with peripheral precocious puberty in an infant
- Atypical familial diabetes associated with a novel NEUROD1 nonsense variant
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Disorders of sex development – biologic, genetic, cultural, societal, and psychologic diversity of the human nature
- Review
- Diagnostic approach in 46, XY DSD: an endocrine society of bengal (ESB) consensus statement
- Original Articles
- Penile diameter during puberty in boys: a retrospective analysis of longitudinally obtained data
- Evaluation of bladder dysfunction in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus by uroflowmetry
- All aspects of galactosemia: a single center experience
- The evolution of pituitary cysts in growth hormone-treated children
- Phototherapy-induced hypocalcemia and hypoparathyroidism in icteric term newborns
- Clinical and laboratory evaluation of children with congenital hyperinsulinism: a single center experience
- Does cystatin C have an immunomodulatory role in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis?
- Molecular genetic etiology by whole exome sequence analysis in cases with familial type 1 diabetes mellitus without HLA haplotype predisposition or incomplete predisposition
- Features of BSCL2 related congenital generalized lipodystrophy in China: long-term follow-up of three patients and literature review
- Case Reports
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia with a CYP21A2 deletion overlapping the tenascin-X gene: an atypical presentation
- The smallest dislocated microduplication of Xq27.1 harboring SOX3 gene associated with XX male phenotype
- Rare PHEX intron variant causes complete and severe phenotype in a family with hypophosphatemic rickets: a case report
- Human chorionic gonadotrophin secreting adrenocortical neoplasm presenting with peripheral precocious puberty in an infant
- Atypical familial diabetes associated with a novel NEUROD1 nonsense variant
