To study the effect of delaying epiphyseal fusion on the growth of GH-deficient children, we studied 14 pubertal, treatment naive, GH-deficient patients (6 girls and 8 boys) in a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Chronological age was 14. 5 +/- 0. 5 yr, and bone age was 11. 6 +/- 0. 3 yr (mean +/- SEM) at the beginning of the study. Patients were assigned randomly to receive GH and LH-releasing hormone (LHRH) analog (n = 8) or GH and placebo (n = 6) during 3 yr, with planned continuation of GH treatment until epiphyseal fusion. Patients were measured with a stadiometer and had serum LHRH tests, serum testosterone (boys), serum estradiol (girls), and bone age performed every 6 months. Patients treated with GH and LHRH analog showed a clear suppression of their pituitary-gonadal axis and a marked delay in bone age progression. We observed a greater gain in height prediction in these patients than in the patients treated with GH and placebo after 3 yr of treatment (mean +/- SEM, 14. 0 +/- 1. 6 vs. 8. 0 +/- 2. 4 cm; P < 0. 05). These preliminary findings suggest that delaying epiphyseal fusion with LHRH analog in pubertal GH-deficient children treated with GH increases height prediction and may increase final height compared to treatment with GH alone VSports手机版. .