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Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002;156:946-947.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

We read with interest the meta-analysis of the effect of growth hormone (GH) therapy on height in children with idiopathic short stature¹ but were surprised that 3 randomized controlled trials were not included in the review.

We recently completed a review of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of GH in children, which was commissioned by the United Kingdom National Health Service Health Technology Assessment Programme on behalf of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (London, England).² As part of this, we considered randomized controlled trials of GH in children with idiopathic short stature, GH deficiency, Turner syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, or chronic renal failure. Fourteen databases, including the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and the National Research Register, were searched (to September 2001, limited to English language studies). In addition, experts in the field were contacted.

We identified 3 studies that were not included in the meta-analysis reported by Finkelstein and colleagues but that . . . [Full Text of this Article]