Lung metastasis of thymoma manifesting as myasthenia gravis 12 years after thymomectomy: report of a case.
A 51-year-old woman, who had undergone thymomectomy for asymptomatic noninvasive thymoma 12 years before, was admitted to our hospital with blepharoptosis caused by myasthenia gravis. A chest computed tomogram (CT) showed an abnormal shadow in the right lower lung field and CT-guided needle biopsy revealed findings of a thymoma. We performed extended thymectomy and partial resection of the right lung using three different approaches, via a cervical incision and bilateral video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. The resected specimen was a lung metastasis of thymoma, and the residual mediastinal tissue showed no sign of malignancy. Because thymoma and post-thymomectomy myasthenia gravis can both recur, we recommend performing extended thymectomy or thymothymectomy, even for patients who are asymptomatic.
Terauchi
Kunihiko
K
Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan.
Shimada
Junichi
J
Kato
Daishiro
D
Nishimura
Motohiro
M
Ito
Kazuhiro
K
Yanada
Masashi
M
Toda
Shogo
S
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D013934:Thymectomy; D013945:Thymoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed