Acquired Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia after Thymectomy in a Case of Pure Red Cell Aplasia Associated with Thymoma / 대한진단검사의학회지

The association of thymoma with pure red cell aplasia has been well documented, but amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia is not a recognized paraneoplastic syndrome complicating thymoma. We report a case of thymoma-complicated pure red cell aplasia and amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia in a 73-yr-old woman. Pure red cell aplasia was diagnosed seven months after the detection of thymoma. One year after the diagnosis of pure red cell aplasia and seven months after thymectomy, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy showed an absence of megakaryocytes, marked erythroid hypoplasia with normal myeloid series. A diagnosis of amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia and pure red cell aplasia was made. Oral steroid maintenance therapy resulted in recovery of platelet count. She has still transfusion-dependant anemia but platelet and neutrophil counts had been maintained in normal range for more than five months, until the last follow-up. We think that autoreactive T cells may induce a clinical autoimmune response even after eradication of thymoma, and aplastic anemia as a late complication following thymectomy was described in previous cases. This patient also has to be under a close observation because of the possibility to evolve into aplastic anemia.

Very Severe Aplastic Anemia appearing after Thymectomy

Aplastic anemia is a rare complication of thymoma and is extremely infrequent after thymectomy. We present a case of a 60-year-old woman with very severe aplastic anemia appearing sixteen months after thymectomy for a thymoma. She underwent thymectomy for a thymoma in April 2000. Preoperative examination revealed no hematologic abnormality. About sixteen months after the operation, she was readmitted because of pancytopenia with cough and fever. Bone marrow aspiration revealed a very severe hypoplasia in all the three cell lines with over 80% fatty tissue, and chest CT revealed no recurrence of thymoma. Her aplastic anemia had responded to cyclosporine A and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF).

Outcome of Thymectomy in Patients with Myasthenia Gravis

Myasthenia Gravis is a neuromuscular disorder characterized by weakness and fatigability of skeletal muscles. Thymectomy is now beneficial even for non-thymomatous patients. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the role of thymectomy as on the treatment options for myasthenia gravis. Thirty patients underwent thymectomy in the period from April 1999 through to July 2000. They were collected from different teaching hospitals in Baghdad, Iraq. All these cases were studied conventionally including history, physical and neurological examination in addition to investigations with particular emphasis on connective tissue screen and thyroid function test. The age in this study ranged between 17-55 years. The preoperative duration ranged between 2-20 months and the postoperative follow up period ranged between 6 months-14 years. The most favorable results were obtained in patients without thymoma with short duration. Early thymectomy carries the best results in Myasthenia Gravis and every effort should be made to shorten the preoperative duration for both thymomatous and nonthymomatous patients. Patients with symptoms can be better controlled with anticholinesterase drugs than patients using steroid and cytotoxic drugs. Thymectomy is beneficial for most patients with Myasthenia Gravis and especially in those with benign folicular hyperplasia

Cirugía de la miastenia gravis: 10 años de experiencia / Myasthenia surgery: our experience

A partir de la primera timectomia en 1939 la cirugía ha sido utilizada en el tratamiento de la miastenia. Desde febrero de 1980 a diciembre de 1990, se operaron 107 enfermos miasténicos. El diagnóstico se efectuó en el Servicio de Enfermedades Neuromusculares. El protocolo diagnóstico incluyó evaluación clínica, estudio electromiográfico, con prueba de estimulación repetitiva, prueba del Edrofinio y determinación del anticuerpo anti-receptor colinérgico. El tiempo de evolución de la enfermedad fue entre 12 años y un mes. En todos los casos la vía de abordaje fue esternotomía transversa. El tiempo de seguimiento post-quirúrgico fue de 18 meses en 82 pacientes y menor de 18 meses en 25. En los 107 pacientes operados no hubo mortalidad. El tiempo de permanencia de los pacientes en Unidad de Terapia Intensiva varió entre 4 y 36 horas

Anestesia para timectomia en el paciente con diagnóstico de miastenia gravis

Se realizó un estudio de tipo retrospectivo para analizar las variables que se relacionan con el manejo anestesiológico de la Miastenia Gravis. La investigación incluyó 43 pacientes que fueron intervenidos quirúrgicamente en el Hospital San Juan de Dios de Bogotá, durante un período de cuatro años. Se estudiaron las variables que surgieron desde la visita preanestésica hasta la recuperación postoperatoria, realizando correlaciones de significancia estadística entre ellas. Se utilizó el paquete estadístico EPI Info Vesrión 5.0 para el análisis. Los resultados mostraron, como en otros estudios, un predominio del sexo femenino en los pacientes intervenidos, con edad promedio de 31 años para las demas y 20 años para los caballeros, sin que esta diferencia sea estadísticamente significativa. Hubo correlación significativa (p<0.05) entre: a) tiempo quirúrgico y tiempo de anestesia (r= 0.87); b) presencia de espirometría y medicación con prostigmine; c) tensión arterial promedio (sistólica, diastólica y media), con uso de diversos halogenados; e) tipo de halogenado y tiempo quirúrgico; f) complicaciones consignadas y calificación anotada del mantenimiento anestésico; y finalmente, entre la fecha (año) de la cirugía y la extubación en sala de cirugía

Timectomia e imunossupressäo em miastenia gravis: estudo prospectivo / Thymectomy and immunosupression in myasthenia gravis: a prospective study

Entre 1982 e 1988 24 mulheres e 6 homens com miastenia gravis foram submetidos a protocolo diagnóstico e terapêutico prospectivo e estandardizado. A idade variou de 10 a 74 anos (34 mais ou menos 16, média mais ou menos desvio padräo). Três com forma ocular foram tratados com piridostigmina. Quatro com forma generalizada, de idade avançada, receberam corticosteróide e/ou azatioprina. Vinte e três com a forma generalizada foram submetidos a timectomia seguida de prednisona e/ou azatioprina. Um paciente faleceu após a admissäo, em crise miastênica/colinérica. Dois outros tiveram complicaçöes menores da timectomia. De 19 pacientes seguidos por 1-60 (média 24) meses, 11 (58%) têm frqueza residual mas levam vida normal e 8 (42%) estäo em remissäo completa, um sem medicaçäo