Ectopic cervical thymoma in myasthenia gravis: a case report.
BMC Neurol
; 24(1): 173, 2024 May 23.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38783232
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Ectopic cervical thymoma (ECT) is an extremely rare tumor, especially in association with myasthenia gravis (MG). CASE PRESENTATION We report a case of myasthenia gravis with an ectopic thymoma in the neck, whose myasthenic symptoms significantly improved after complete removal of the mass. A 55-year-old woman with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG) experienced worsening neuromuscular weakness after abruptly discontinuing pyridostigmine. Testing revealed acetylcholine receptor-antibody (AChR-Ab) positivity and a cervical mass initially thought to be thyroid or parathyroid was identified as a thymoma, type A. Post-surgery and radiation therapy, her myasthenic symptoms improved significantly with less prednisone and pyridostigmine requirements over time and no need for additional immunotherapies.CONCLUSIONS:
Diagnosing ECTs is challenging due to rarity, atypical locations, and inconclusive fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) results, often misinterpreted as thyroid or parathyroid lesions. As proper management of patients with MG, including thymectomy, offers favorable clinical outcomes such as significant improvement in myasthenic complaints and reduced immunosuppressive medication requirements, clinicians should be vigilant of the ectopic locations of thymomas to ensure timely diagnosis and intervention.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Timoma
/
Miastenia Gravis
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMC Neurol
Assunto da revista:
NEUROLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos