title: Extended thymectomy for myasthenia gravis in an octogenarian. A case report.
abstract: An 86-year-old woman with myasthenia gravis successfully underwent an extended thymectomy. The patient had a 2-year history of generalized myasthenia and had limited response to anticholinesterases and steroids. An extended thymectomy was successfully performed in the usual fashion. The postoperative course was uneventful except for an episode of psychosis probably due to postoperative steroid therapy. The steroid dosage was gradually reduced to 5 mg/day over seven months after the operation, during which she became fully asymptomatic. No symptoms due to myasthenia have surfaced for over 2 years after surgery. Although elderly patients are usually considered to be less responsive to an operation, thymectomy may sometimes be the treatment of choice for myasthenia gravis even in octogenarians.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chest Surgery, Maebashi Red Cross Hospital, Gunma University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hamada
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morishita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013934:Thymectomy / Q000379:methods*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome