title: [What does radiologic diagnosis of the thymus gland accomplish in myasthenia gravis?].
abstract: Radiologic imaging in myasthenia gravis is used for the evaluation of pathologic changes of the thymus gland. Computed tomography can demonstrate tumors of the anterior mediastinum in nearly 90% and is therefore superior to conventional radiography. Because of the variety of size and shape of the normal thymus gland, differentiation between normal thymus, follicular hyperplasia and thymoma is rarely possible especially in younger patients. In elderly patients with myasthenia gravis and involution of the thymus gland tumors of the thymus are reliably detected by computed tomography, whereas the ability of computed tomography to predict the histological diagnosis is poor even with intravenous administration of contrast media.
authors.affiliation: Radiologisches Institut der Universität zu Köln.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Glathe
authors.forename: K F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Neufang
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Haupt
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013724:Teratoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013945:Thymoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
vernacular_title: Was leistet die radiologische Thymusdiagnostik bei der Myasthenia gravis?