Provocative growth hormone testing in children: how did we get here and where do we go now?

Objectives: Provocative growth hormone (GH) tests are widely used for diagnosing pediatric GH deficiency (GHD). A thorough understanding of the evidence behind commonly used interpretations and the limitations of these tests is important for improving clinical practice. Content: To place current practice into a historical context, the supporting evidence behind the use of provocative GH tests is presented. By reviewing GH measurement techniques and examining the early data supporting the most common tests and later studies that compared provocative agents to establish reference ranges, the low sensitivity and specificity of these tests become readily apparent. Studies that assess the effects of patient factors, such as obesity and sex steroids, on GHtesting further bring the appropriateness of commonly used cutoffs for diagnosingGHDinto question. Summary and Outlook: Despite thewidely recognized poor performance of provocative GH tests in distinguishing GH sufficiency from deficiency, limited progress has beenmade in improving them. New diagnostic modalities are needed, but until they become available, clinicians can improve the clinical application of provocative GH tests by taking into account the multiple factors that influence their results.