CARE OF GIRLS AND WOMEN WITH TURNER SYNDROME: A GUIDLINE OF THE TURNER SYNDROME STUDY GROUP

Objectives: The objective of this work is to provide updated guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of girls and women with Turner syndrome (TS). Participants: The Turner Syndrome Consensus Study Group is a multidisciplinary panel of experts with relevant clinical and research experience with TS that met in Bethesda, Maryland, April 2006. The meeting was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and unrestricted educational grants from pharmaceutical companies. Evidence: The study group used peer-reviewed published information to form its principal recommendations. Expert opinion was used where good evidence was lacking. Consensus: The study group met for 3 d to discuss key issues. Breakout groups focused on genetic, cardiological, auxological, psychological, gynecological, and general medical concerns and drafted recommendations for presentation to the whole group. Draft reports were available for additional comment on the meeting web site. Synthesis of the section reports and final revisions were reviewed by e-mail and approved by whole-group consensus. Conclusions:Wesuggest that parents receiving a prenatal diagnosis of TS be advised of the broad phenotypic spectrum and the good quality of life observed in TS in recent years. We recommend that magnetic resonance angiography be used in addition to echocardiography to evaluate the cardiovascular system and suggest that patients with defined cardiovascular defects be cautioned in regard to pregnancy and certain types of exercise. We recommend that puberty should not be delayed to promote statural growth. We suggest a comprehensive educational evaluation in early childhood to identify potential attention-deficit or nonverbal learning disorders. We suggest that caregivers address the prospect of premature ovarian failure in an open and sensitive manner and emphasize the critical importance of estrogen treatment for feminization and for bone health during the adult years. All individuals with TS require continued monitoring of hearing and thyroid function throughout the lifespan. We suggest that adults with TS be monitored for aortic enlargement, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 92: 10–25, 2007) TURNER SYNDROME (TS) affects approximately one in 2500 live-born females (1). This disorder presents the clinician with a challenging array of genetic, developmental, endocrine, cardiovascular, psychosocial, and reproductive issues. There have been important advances in each of these arenas since publication of the previous recommendations for the care of girls and women with TS (2). This paper is based on the proceedings of a multidisciplinary international conference sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in April 2006. Discussions at this conference and the ensuing recommendations have been based upon recent, peer-reviewed scientific publications. However, there are very few TS studies that would qualify as guidance for evidence-based recommendations, and hence