These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Prognostic significance of thymomas in patients with myasthenia gravis.
    Author: de Perrot M, Liu J, Bril V, McRae K, Bezjak A, Keshavjee SH.
    Journal: Ann Thorac Surg; 2002 Nov; 74(5):1658-62. PubMed ID: 12440626.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: The presence of thymoma may be a negative prognostic factor with respect to the outcome of myasthenia gravis (MG). METHODS: Of 122 consecutive patients with MG undergoing thymectomy between August 1994 and September 2000, 37 had a thymoma. Postoperative radiation was administered to all patients with stage II thymoma and higher. To determine differences in presentation and outcome, thymoma patients were compared with patients with atrophic (n = 49) or hyperplastic (n = 36) thymus gland on final pathology. RESULTS: Thymoma patients were significantly older (52 +/- 14 vs 36 +/- 15 years, p < 0.0001) and included a significantly higher proportion of males (54% vs 28%, p = 0.006) than patients without thymoma. However, the preoperative Osserman grade and the duration of symptoms before surgery were not significantly different between groups. Mean follow-up after thymectomy was not significantly different between patients with or without thymoma (32 +/- 23 vs 37 +/- 19 months, respectively, p = 0.3). At last follow-up, the proportion of asymptomatic patients (63% vs 70%, respectively, p = 0.5) and the mean Osserman grade (0.6 +/- 0.9 vs 0.5 +/- 0.9, respectively, p = 0.6) were similar in both groups. In addition, the rate of complete remission reached 36% at 5 years in patients with or without thymoma (p = 0.8). CONCLUSIONS: Although myasthenic patients with thymoma are significantly older and include a greater proportion of males, the overall outcome, including the rate of complete remission, was similar between patients with or without thymoma. Therefore, the presence of a thymoma should not necessarily be viewed as a negative prognostic factor regarding recovery from myasthenia gravis.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]