Introduction:

The start of puberty is determined by the interaction between genetic and regulatory factors. Among girls this occurs around the age of eight years. However, the process may be affected by the presence of early puberty, precocious puberty or a variant of puberty. Imaging studies have become a vital tool for their differentiation.

Objective:

Describe the pathophysiological, clinical-epidemiological and imaging diagnostic aspects of precocious puberty and its pubertal variants in girls.

Methods:

A systematic review was conducted using search terms obtained from health sciences descriptors. The documents reviewed were open access papers from the databases PubMed, SciELO and Google Scholar. Of a total 125 papers retrieved, a selection was made of the 45 of greatest interest: 34 in Spanish and 9 in English, including books and journals.

Data analysis and integration:

Distinguishing precocious puberty from thelarche, pubarche, adrenarche or isolated premature menarche is a challenge, for these are variants of pubertal development. Ruling out an underlying treatable cause is important for diagnosis. Physical examination, laboratory analysis and imaging studies make it possible to differentiate complete forms from their variants and the possible causes determining the stimulation of hormone production.

Conclusions:

Knowledge about the normal development of puberty and the emergence of its variants in girls is very useful. Early detection would pave the way for medical care, including imaging studies to rule out its secondary causes.

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