Why Evaluate Short Stature?
A Clinical Perspective
Norman Lavin, MD, PhD, FACE, FAAP
Questions that are commonly asked by residents, fellows, pediatricians, and even endocrinologists include:
• What are the criteria for the work-up of the short child?
• When do you begin?
• Who is excluded?
• Who is short?
• What tests are preferred for the evaluation?
• How extensive should the work-up be?
• What are the treatment options?
• Are we just indulging parental anxieties and cosmetic dreams?
• Why spend time and money to evaluate the “short child”?
After 30 years of evaluating and treating children with short stature, this author believes the most important answer is “to save lives”.