All issues > Volume 31(8); 1988

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1988;31(8):1007-1013. Published online August 31, 1988.

Study on the Clitoral Size of the Korean Female Newborn.

Jong Lin Rhi¹, Sei Won Yang¹, Hyung Ro Moon¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

Received: December 21, 1987;  Accepted: March 16, 1988.

Abstract

The disturbance of sex hormone secretions during the fetal life results in abnormal development of the fetal sex organs including the external genitalia. In the congenital adrenal hyperplasia, especially, the external genitalia is often virilized at birth and the clitomegaly in this disorder can be an important clue for the early diagnosis. For the normal range of the clitoral size of the Korean female newborns we measured the clitoral size of the 148 female newborns in Seoul National University Hospital from June to August in 1987. The mean clitoral size of the 148 subjects was 4.4±1.0 mm in width and 4.5±1.0 mm in length with the range of 2.0 to 7.0 mm in width and of 2.1 to 6.9 mm in length. The results were also analyzed according to gestational age and birth weight. The width and length were 5.2±1.0 mm in the prematur- ity, 4.3± 1.0 mm in width and 4.3±0.9 mm in length in the full term infants, 4.5± 1.0 mm in width and 4. 6± 1.1 mm in length in the postmature infants, 5.4±1.0 mm in width and 5.5± 1.0 mm in length in the low birth weight infants, 4.5±0.5 mm in width and in 4.3±1.0 mm in the normal birth weight infants, 5.0± 0.3 mm in width and 5.3±0.7 mm in length in the high birth weight infants. There was no significant correlation between gestational age and clitoral size, but significant negative correlation was found between birth weight and clitoral size. Conclusively, the measurement of the clitoral size in the female newborns may be useful for the early diagnosis of the congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Keywords :The clitoral size, congenital adrenal hyperplasia