Precocious Puberty Due to a Hypothalamic Late Middle
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J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry: first published as 10.1136/jnnp.26.3.275 on 1 June 1963. Downloaded from J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiat., 1963, 26, 275 Precocious puberty due to a hypothalamic hamartoma in a patient surviving to late middle age LIONEL WOLMAN AND G. V. BALMFORTH From the Department ofNeuropathology and Medical Unit, Royal Infirmary, Sheffield Precocious puberty is considered to be present when until the age of 21. Thereafter, they were irregular gonadal function, which is adult in type and degree, until the menopause occurred in the early thirties. At is accompanied by secondary sex development, in about this time she began to shave regularly. Although the male or female, some years before this would married, she never became pregnant. Her father, a normally be diabetic, died from heart disease. Her mother and expected (Simpson, 1959). Seckel (1946) seven siblings were all normal. regarded genital maturation as precocious when it About one month before her sudden death she became apparent in boys before the age of 10 years developed thirst, polyuria, lassitude, and loss of weight. and in girls before the age of 8 years. It is usually an She was found to be a strikingly short and obese woman idiopathic acceleration of normal puberty and is weighing 15 stones. There were large dewlaps. The feet Protected by copyright. considerably more common in girls than in boys and hands were tiny. She had a beard but the hair was (Jolly, 1951). Identical features can result from distributed normally elsewhere. Investigations included involvement of the hypothalamus either directly or a fasting blood sugar level of 292 mg./100 ml., urinary indirectly in disorders of adjacent structures, such 17-ketosteroids of 4.7 mg./24 hr., 17-ketogenic steroids as the pineal and upper of 6.0 mg./24 hr., and gonadotrophins of 54 mouse brain-stem. Such cases are units/24 hours. The blood pressure was 190/100 mm. Hg. more common among boys than girls (Weinberger There was a B.coli urinary tract infection. The diabetes and Grant, 1941). Of the various pathological lesions mellitus was controlled with a 1,000 calorie diet. She affecting the hypothalamus, a well-defined group is collapsed and died a few minutes after the sudden onset the hamartoma occurring on the ventral aspect of of dyspnoea. the posterior hypothalamus. Over 30 cases have now been described in the literature and the majority POST-MORTEM FINDINGS of these have been reviewed recently by Schmidt, Hallervorden, and Spatz (1958). Most children The cause of death was a large pulmonary embolus developing the condition due to hypothalamic blocking the bifurcation of the pulmonary artery. It causes had arisen from a deep vein thrombosis in the left either die young or survive only till early external iliac vein. The heart weighed 305 g. and showed http://jnnp.bmj.com/ adult life, being especially sensitive to operative left ventricular hypertrophy. The kidneys were mildly procedures (Le Marquand and Russell, 1935). scarred. The uterus and ovaries were small and atrophic. That reasonable longevity may be compatible with The thyroid, pancreas, and adrenals appeared normal. these growths is suggested by the family reported The brain (weight 990 g.) was small with a normal by Rush, Bilderback, Slocum, and Rogers (1937), in convolutional pattern and slight bilateral frontal cortical which sexual prococity was found in the father and atrophy. The mammillary bodies appeared enlarged when two sons as well as in other members, and is con- viewed from the ventral aspect of the brain (Fig. 1) but a closer inspection of the midline sagittal section revealed firmed on September 28, 2021 by guest. by the following study of a patient who that they were both of normal size but attached to and survived until the age of 62 years. covering them was a small firm white pedunculated mass measuring 1.5 x 1 x 1 cm. The attachment of the nodule CASE REPORT to the hypothalamus was by a broad base extending anteriorly on to the posterior part of the tuber cinereum A.W., a woman aged 62, developed rapidly during more on the right than the left (Figs. 2 and 3). It had not childhood. Menstruation began at the age of 7, and by produced any signs of compression or distortion of the this time the breasts had become as large as her mother's. neighbouring parts and the ventricular system was of Growth ceased at the age of 9 when she measured normal size and shape without any displacement. The 4 ft. 6j in. and weighed 15 st. 6 lb. The periods, which pituitary fossa appeared slightly enlarged but the gland were heavy, continued regularly at monthly intervals was normal. The pineal gland showed no abnormality. 27' J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry: first published as 10.1136/jnnp.26.3.275 on 1 June 1963. Downloaded from 276 Lionel Wolman and G. V. Balmforth W-4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ n; '[ . k iZZ Z!S'~~* ,a. fa * 41~~~~ i,SII ......~~~~~~~~~~~~*t Protected by copyright. ~~~~~~< HG. 1. Ventral aspect of the brain showing nodular > of the mnammillary bodies. The brain had ;51 t ~~~~~~~~~~beensectioned sagittally in the midline. < $t§X/lix X ~~~~~~~FIG.2. Midline sagittal section of brain viewedfrom left g hamartoma attached to a normal-sized right mammillary body and extending forwards on to the ventral _ of the tuber cinereum. mmnmwwmumumemnmwm-nmnmwm.mmm-mt~'&.;;.~ ;. HG. 3. Midline sagittal section of brain viewed from ;fl-- ienlargement~~~~~~~~~~rightshowing hamartoma attached almost entirely to http://jnnp.bmj.com/ normal-sized left mammillary body. 4. Section of dorsal part of hamartoma showing a s 3- i:;^-vtv1~~*R*d;~~~~~~~iiL.9t~~~I,t*.-j group of large nerve cells on the right adjacent to a cluster Jre. seen s / : i X \. ........ .Xt~showingof small nerve cells. A band of nerve fibres can be across the upper part of the section and these > _ ^: . ° J / ~~~~~~~~weresituated near the capsule of the mammillary body. / stain. x 150. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~surface on September 28, 2021 by guest. 5. Section of central part of hamartoma showing a ; nerve cell and widely separated nerve fibres. , % , ~~~~~~~~~~9~~ Silver stain. x 400. i ....R,3w ^;i.... 6. Coronal section of left mammillary body with __;,[.HG. I-mmnmnmmnmnmninnunmnnmnmmnmnmnmnw-u miF p j j ~~~~~~~~~~~~~separateddorsal partbyofthebundlesmalformation.of myelinated nerve fibres in the H - 4>-.-/-''.2Y;s_k-;(/ rti~~~~~~~~~~~~solitaryS9°oJb:$_;>i9uS:}24~~~~~~~~~Silver~~~~~~~extending>tFI~~~~G.~~~~HG.Mallory's P.T.A.H. x 12.3. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry: first published as 10.1136/jnnp.26.3.275 on 1 June 1963. Downloaded from Precocious puberty due to a hypothalamic hamartoma in a patient surviving to late middle age 277 O.,., : * i. :s ... -W~~~~~~' : / b t o AF A A -t~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~J 4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Protected by copyright. b~~~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~4 *&kS,+t*I'%i bS W " 'Vt~~~~~ ~ ~ ~~~~ U,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A :~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~G 7 Diagammti rersntto of th conxin http://jnnp.bmj.com/ .....o 7 D r on September 28, 2021 by guest. f the hamartoma with the right hypothalamus as seen in sagittal section. The triangles represent groups of nerve cells. FIG. 8. Nerve cell from hamartoma containing neuro secretory material which is also distributed irregularly .,>.:1salong its axone giving a beaded appearancer 6e1f1 Performic acid-alcian blue. x 820. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry: first published as 10.1136/jnnp.26.3.275 on 1 June 1963. Downloaded from 278 Lionel Wolman and G. V. Balmforth HISTOLOGICAL EXAMINATION case described by Graber and Kersting (1955). The fact that hamartomatous malformation of the The nodule consisted of groups of nerve cells separated hypothalamus may not be so uncommon is by a loose astroglial network in which were many suggested myelinated nerve fibres and scanty interfascicular by the work of Sherwin, Grassi, and Sommers (1962) oligodendroglia. The glial fibres were most dense around who found miniature hamartomatous nodular perivascular spaces and around the periphery of the projections ofthe tuber cinereum in the posterolateral nodule where there were very many corpora amylacea. portion of the hypothalamus in 21 % of 121 brains The pia arachnoid over the nodule was markedly carefully examined. Multiple endocrine abnormalities thickened but appeared normal over the adjacent and neoplasms were significantly increased in these hypothalamus. Some of the groups of nerve cells were cases. composed of small neurones while others were much Of the symptoms associated with hypothalamic larger (Fig. 4). A few nerve cells showed bullous vacuola- hamartomata, pubertas praecox is the most tion of their cytoplasm. Serial sections of the nodule striking and adjacent hypothalamus were examined to trace the and frequent. As many diverse types of tumour of course of the nerve fibres. The right side was sectioned the hypothalamus have been reported associated sagittally and the left side was sectioned in the coronal with precocious puberty (Morley, 1954), it is not plane. In the ventral and central part of the nodule the likely that the pathological type of growth is fibres tended to be solitary (Fig. 5) or in small bundles. important but rather its effect on the hypothalamic These increased in size near the hypothalamus where nerve cells and connexions. It thus seems likely large bands of nerve fibres occurred between the groups that the fibre connexions of these hamartomas are of nerve cells. Many of these fibres merged with the important in influencing the onset of precocious capsule of the mammillary body (Fig. 6) but anteriorly the they extended into the area praemammillaris of the puberty. Occasionally, however, hamartoma has posterior hypothalamus and the tuber cinereum establish- been discovered as a chance finding at necropsy in ing connexions with the nucleus mammillo-infundibularis a previously normal and healthy individual, as Protected by copyright.