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Licensed Unlicensed Requires Authentication Published by De Gruyter December 20, 2016

Transdermal testosterone gel for induction and continuation of puberty in adolescent boys with hepatic dysfunction

  • Maria F. Contreras , Manish Raisingani , Kris Prasad , Bonita Franklin and Bina Shah EMAIL logo

Abstract

Treatment to induce puberty in boys is indicated in those who do not undergo spontaneous development at a normal age. Stimulating development of the secondary sex characteristics is possible using gradually increasing doses of testosterone esters (TEs) via intramuscular (IM) administration, which is the most widely used method of testosterone (T) supplementation. When TEs are administered as monthly injection, serum T levels exhibit large fluctuations with supraphysiologic levels seen immediately after the injection followed by a decrease into the low range. Transdermal T (TT) has also been used for replacement therapy in adult males with hypogonadism and this provides steadier serum T levels. We report three adolescent boys with delayed puberty who were treated with TT gel for pubertal induction/continuation. This route was chosen as an alternative therapy due to their hepatic dysfunction, as is known that TT avoids the hepatic first-pass metabolism.


Corresponding author: Bina Shah, MD, NYU School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, 462 First Avenue, 8th Floor, Room 8W52, New York, NY, 10015 USA, Phone: 212-562-6904

  1. Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted article and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: None declared.

  3. Employment or leadership: None declared.

  4. Honorarium: None declared.

  5. Competing interests: The funding organization(s) played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report or in the decision to submit the report for publication.

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Received: 2016-5-20
Accepted: 2016-10-9
Published Online: 2016-12-20
Published in Print: 2017-1-1

©2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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