[Clinical characteristics and outcome of myasthenia gravis with and without thymoma after operation].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the clinical characteristics and outcome of myasthenia gravis with and without thymoma after operation.


METHODS
Two hundred and forty-three patients with myasthenia gravis surgically treated in our department from 1978 to 2003 were studied retrospectively. The clinical characteristics, complication, remission and survival were compared between myasthenia gravis with and without thymoma.


RESULTS
The patients of myasthenia gravis with thymoma were significantly older (t = 6.138, P = 0.000), had shorter duration of symptom (t = 3.783, P = 0.000), and also had higher myasthenia crisis rates after operation (chi(2) = 64.77, P = 0.000) than those of myasthenia gravis without thymoma. No differences of Osserman classification was found between the two groups (chi(2) = 7.678, P = 0.104). The complete remission rates and partial remission rates of myasthenia gravis with thymoma were significantly lower than those of myasthenia gravis without thymoma at 1 and 3 years (P = 0.049, P = 0.000; P = 0.015, P = 0.010), but no differences at 5 year (P = 0.457; P = 0.699). The survival rates of MG with thymoma were lower than that of MG without thymoma (Log-rank = 18.58, P = 0.000).


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical characteristics are different between myasthenia gravis with and without thymoma. The remission of symptom of myasthenia gravis with thymoma is worse than that of myasthenia gravis without thymoma in the near future, but is similar in the long future. The death rates of MG with thymoma is significantly higher than that of MG without thymoma.
Wang
Ru-wen
RW
Center of Thoracic Surgery of PLA, Research Institute of Surgery, Daping Hospital, the Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China.
Jiang
Yao-guang
YG
Xue
Zhi-qiang
ZQ
Zhao
Yun-ping
YP
Ma
Zheng
Z
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013934:Thymectomy; D013945:Thymoma / Q000150:complications*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D016896:Treatment Outcome