New concepts of the growth spurt of puberty.

The timing of the growth spurt of normal children does not affect their final height attainment. Growth rate during the growth acceleration of puberty correlates with changes in GH, and not sex steroid, secretion. GH secretion during puberty is pulse amplitude, and not frequency, modulated. In both central precocious puberty and normal puberty suppressed with a GnRH analogue, the rate of epiphyseal maturation is decreased as are GH pulse amplitude and growth, but with no influence on final height.