Incidental pineal gland cyst in girls with early onset of puberty.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Retrospective case series of pediatric patients evaluated at a single center
PubMed 35313951 · doi:10.1186/s13052-022-01235-4
What was done
Researchers retrospectively reviewed brain MRI records from 123 girls referred to a single pediatric endocrinology unit (2010–2015) for early onset of breast development (central precocious puberty before age 8 or central early puberty before age 10). They assessed the prevalence of intracranial lesions, focused on pineal gland cysts, compared auxological, ultrasound, and hormonal parameters at diagnosis between girls with and without cysts, and monitored outcomes for at least 3 years after therapy cessation.
What was found
Cerebral abnormalities were present in 25 of 123 girls (20.3%), and 15 (12.2%) had pineal gland cysts. No significant differences were observed in auxological, ultrasound, or hormonal parameters at diagnosis between girls with versus without pineal cysts. Over at least 3 years of follow-up after stopping therapy, zero patients showed unfavorable clinical evolution.
Why it matters
Pineal cysts detected during brain MRI work-up for early puberty appear to be benign incidental findings that do not alter the clinical or hormonal presentation or clinical trajectory.
Limits
The study is a single-center retrospective series with a small subgroup of cyst cases (n = 15). It lacked a healthy asymptomatic control group to compare background cyst prevalence, and specific cyst dimensions or anatomical progression data were not reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- context Pineal cysts can cause precocious puberty in children around eight or nine years of age.