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@#Objective To compare clinical effects of extended thymectomy for the treatment of thymic abnormalities with myasthenia gravis (MG) between subxiphoid and subcostal arch thoracoscopic resection (SR) and the unilateral thoracoscopic resection (UR) by a propensity-score matching analysis. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 612 patients who presented with MG and were admitted to Tangdu Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University between December 2011 and December 2018. Of these patients, 520 patients underwent subxiphoid and subcostal arch thoracoscopic extended thymectomy (a SR group) and 92 unilateral thoracoscopic extended thymectomy (a UR group). Ninety-two patients in the SR group were matched with the UR group by propensity-score matching analysis. There were 52 males and 40 females with an average age of 26-70 (50.2±10.3) years in the SR group, and 47 males and 45 females with an average age of 20-73 (51.5±12.1) years in the UR group. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, thoracic drainage time, postoperative hospital stay, thorough adipose tissue removal, postoperative remission of MG, patients’ satisfaction score, pain and complications were compared and analyzed between the two groups. Results All operations were accomplished successfully, without conversion to thoracotomy of the two groups. There were statistical differences between the two groups in operation time (46.2±19.5 min vs. 53.4±23.5 min), chest drainage duration (0 d vs. 3.4±1.2 d), hospital stay (2.9±1.9 d vs. 3.6±1.7 d), patients’ satisfaction score (7.9±2.1 points vs. 6.7±1.2 points) and pain scores (all P<0.05). There were no statistical differences between the two groups in intraoperative blood loss (52.2±12.7 mL vs. 51.2±10.3 mL), peripheral adipose tissue removal (8.1±0.6 vs. 7.9±0.9), remission rate of MG (89.1% vs. 85.9%) and rate of postoperative complications (10.9% vs. 6.5%) (all P>0.05). Conclusion Subxiphoid and subcostal arch thoracoscopic extended thymectomy is a safe and feasible minimally invasive procedure for the management of MG with thymic abnormalities.
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OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether computed tomography (CT) and fluorine-18-labeled fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) may be applied to distinguish thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) from benign cysts in the anterior mediastinum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 262 consecutive patients with pathologically proven TETs and benign cysts 5 cm or smaller who underwent preoperative CT scans. In addition to conventional morphological and ancillary CT findings, the relationship between the lesion and the adjacent mediastinal pleura was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. Mean lesion attenuation was measured on CT images. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was obtained with FDG-PET scans in 40 patients. CT predictors for TETs were identified with multivariate logistic regression analysis. For validation, we assessed the diagnostic accuracy and inter-observer agreement between four radiologists in a size-matched set of 24 cysts and 24 TETs using a receiver operating characteristic curve before and after being informed of the study findings. RESULTS: The multivariate analysis showed that post-contrast attenuation of 60 Hounsfield unit or higher (odds ratio [OR], 12.734; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.506–64.705; p = 0.002) and the presence of protrusion from the mediastinal pleura (OR, 9.855; 95% CI, 1.749–55.535; p = 0.009) were the strongest CT predictors for TETs. SUVmax was significantly higher in TETs than in cysts (5.3 ± 2.4 vs. 1.1 ± 0.3; p < 0.001). After being informed of the study findings, the readers' area under the curve improved from 0.872–0.955 to 0.949–0.999 (p = 0.066–0.149). Inter-observer kappa values for protrusion were 0.630–0.941. CONCLUSION: Post-contrast CT attenuation, protrusion from the mediastinal pleura, and SUVmax were useful imaging features for distinguishing TETs from cysts in the anterior mediastinum.
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Humans , Logistic Models , Mediastinum , Multivariate Analysis , Pleura , Positron-Emission Tomography , ROC Curve , Thymus Neoplasms , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the expression of CD34 and its clinical significances in different types of thymic tumor.Methods The expressions of CD34 in 61 thymic tumor tissues were detected by SP immunohistochemical method,then,the MVD was calculated.The patients included 7 cases of type A,9 cases of type AB,16 cases of type B1,10 cases of type B2,10 cases of type B3 and 9 cases of type C according to 2004 WHO Classification of thymic tumor.Results CD34 expression level was significantly increased from type A to type C.The MVDs were 3.78±2.12,5.72±2.79,7.51±3.34,10.89±5.10,12.31±4.08 and 16.51±6.24 in A,AB,B1,B2,B3 and C type of thymic tumor (F =2.048,P =0.047).The expression level in B2+B3+C type was significantly higher than A+AB+B1 type (t =6.034,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The expression of CD34 in different types of thymic tumor suggests that it may take some action in tumor-associated angiogenic function.Detection of CD34 may be useful to evaluate malignancy of thymic tumor.
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Objective To explore the operative method for reconstruction of superior vena cave (SVC) and its branches in the treatment of patients with malignant mediastinal or pulmonary tumors through anterior mediastinotomy. Methods From 2001 to 2004 year, 22 patients with malignant mediastinal tumor or lung cancer received the resection of tumors and the reconstruction of the superior vena cave and its branches through anterior mediastinotomy. The operative efficacy was followed up in all patients. Results There was neither severe operative complications nor operative death in this group of patients, and 2 patients died of tumor recurrence in one year of post-operation, while others survived till now. Only one artificial graft occlusion occurred one month after operation. Conclusion The complete resection of malignant mediastinal or pulmonary tumors and the reconstruction of superior vena cave and its branches through anterior mediastinotomy is simple and reliable, and can remarkably improve the survival time of the short-term and long-term of the patients with malignant mediastinal or pulmonary tumor invading SVC.
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Two cases of thymic tumors are presented, one cystic and the other solid. In neither case was a complete removal possible and both were subjected to post-operative irradiation. Although weakness was present in both patients, we incline to the belief that these tumors were not associated with myasthenia gravisThe literature is briefly reviewed and some general observations made. Thymic tumors associated with myasthenia gravis differ in no way from those with no such association. Diagnosis is difficult and can not be made unless myasthenia co-exists. Pleural pain is a sign of grave import as it may mean pleural implants. Thymoma are, as a rule, slow growing and spread more by invasion, although there have been reports of thyroid and pulmonary metastases. Roentgen studies for these tumors should include both PA and lateral views. In those fatal cases associated with myesthenia gravis, the cause of death was the myesthenia. In those with no myesthenia gravis, the tumor itself was usually fatal. Since they cannot be regarded as innocent and no accurate diagnosis can be made outside of histological examinations, exploratory thoracotomy is definitely urged for those patients with anterior superior mediasinal shadowsDeep x-ray may be of benefit for patients with ineradicable tumors. (Summary and Conclusion)
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ThymectomyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & PURPOSE: Thymic tumors are frequently found in patients with myasthenia gravis(MG); the patients with thymoma seem to be more associated with severe MG. This study was performed to analyse the clinical characteristics of thymic tumor-associated MGs and to compare the patients with invasive and noninvasive thymomas. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 305 MG subjects(M:F = 112:193, age = 30.4 ? 8.1 years) who had been diagnosed to have MG from January 1986 to June 1996, and analysed the clinical characteristics of MG subjects with thymic tumors. Forty seven patients were confirmed to have thymic tumor by the postoperative histopathologic findings(thymic tumor(TT) group) and 191 were known to have nonneoplastic thymus by chest CT or postoperative histopathologic findings(nonneoplastic thymus(NN) group). RESULTS: The incidence of thymic tumor-associated MG was 25.2%. The male to female ratio for the TT and the NN groups were 1:1 and 1:2, and the mean age of onset were 42.9 ? 11.2 years and 28.3 ? 17.5 years, respectively. When we evaluated the disease severity by Osserman's classification, 85% of the TT group and 51% of NN group were severely affected(Iib, III, IV). The generalization of symptoms occurred in 98% of the TT group and 66% of the NN group. The disease severity and the clinical outcome were not significantly different between the MGs with invasive thymoma, noninvasive thymoma and thymic carcinoma. CONCLUSION: Compared with those of MGs with nonneoplastic thymus, the thymic tumor-associated MGs showed several different clinical phenotypes, as in the followings; they showed no sex predominance, the onset age was older, more common generalization of myasthenic symptoms, and more patients were severely affected. The severity and outcome were not different between the MGs with thymic tumor.