Myasthenia gravis developing after discovery of thymoma

• Published in: Clinical neurology and neurosurgery Vol. 94; no. 4; pp. 303 - 306
• Main Authors: Wakata, Nobuo, Fukuya, Hidenari, Niizuma, Masamichi, Ishida, Tetsuro, Kinoshita, Masao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 1992; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Diseases of striated muscles. Neuromuscular diseases; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Myasthenia gravis; Myasthenia Gravis - diagnosis; Myasthenia Gravis - surgery; Neurologic Examination; Neurology; Post-thymectomic myasthenia gravis; Postoperative Complications - diagnosis; Thymectomy; Thymoma - diagnosis; Thymoma - surgery; Thymomectomy; Thymus Neoplasms - diagnosis; Thymus Neoplasms - surgery; Post-thymectomic myasthenia gravis; Thymomectomy; Myasthenia gravis; Case study; Human; Thymus pathology; Immunopathology; Striated muscle disease; Nervous system diseases; Thymoma; Autoimmune disease; Evolution; Early stage
• ISSN: 0303-8467; 1872-6968
• DOI: 10.1016/0303-8467(92)90178-6

We report 4 cases of myasthenia gravis in which myasthenic symptoms developed after a thymoma was known to be present. They include 3 invasive thymomas and one thymoma. In 3 of them, myasthenic symptoms developed 2–7 months after removal of the thymoma; in 1 case, myasthenic symptoms developed 11 years after the thymoma was known to be present. We also discuss here the possible pathogenetic mechanism of post-thymomectomic myasthenia gravis, and propose that it is due to the natural course of the disease.