Precocious puberty due to a lipid-cell tumour of the ovary.

A 4-year-old girl with a lipid cell tumour of the ovary showed isosexual precocious pseudopuberty. The endocrine activity of the tumour led to elevated plasma levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, oestradiol, testosterone and androstenedione. After tumour resection the clinical signs of abnormal hormonal stimulation disappeared within 10 months. The girl developed precocious puberty again 2 years later without any sign of relapse. Therapy with luteinizing hormone releasing hormone agonist was effective although premature activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis could not clearly be demonstrated by hormonal investigations.