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  • Title: The diagnosis of thymoma in myasthenia gravis.
    Author: Aarli JA.
    Journal: Ital J Neurol Sci; 1983 Dec; 4(4):393-7. PubMed ID: 6370907.
    Abstract:
    Between 10 and 15 per cent of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) have a thymoma. We have evaluated the possibility of detecting such tumours on the basis of clinical features, radiological findings and immunological tests in a group of 70 MG patients. The mean age at onset of myasthenic symptoms was 67.6 years in the thymoma group and 33.8 years in the non-thymoma group. Otherwise, the clinical picture was similar. Radiological examination revealed a mediastinal mass in 2 patients. Six of the 70 MG sera contained antibodies to a citric acid (CA) extract of striated muscle. At thymectomy, a thymoma was found in these 6 patients. None of the remaining 64 patients had evidence of a thymoma. Antibodies to AChR were detected in 52 of the 70 MG sera. There was no relation between titres of AChR and CA antibodies. Three out of 5 sera from non-MG patients with a thymoma contained CA antibodies. Apparently, this assay is a valuable technique for the identification of a thymoma at an early stage.
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