title: Giant cell polymyositis associated with myasthenia gravis and thymoma.
abstract: We report a case of a 40-year-old woman who developed generalized muscle weakness over a period of 2 months. Physical examination revealed palpable masses in her arms and hands. Serum creatine kinase levels were elevated. Electromyography showed myopathic changes and 3 Hz repetitive nerve stimulation revealed a decremental pattern on repetitive nerve stimulation. Muscle MRI demonstrated increased signal intensity in the biceps brachii on T1-weighted images. Chest CT scan showed a mediastinal mass suggestive of thymoma. Muscle biopsy revealed giant cell polymyositis. The patient was treated with cholinesterase inhibitors and corticosteroids with improvement of strength, and subsequently underwent thymectomy followed by radiotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Chongbo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Wenhua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Dongyue
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Sushan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropathology, Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 241 W Huaihai Road, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: fudan78@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Wentao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jiahong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015726:Giant Cells / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D017285:Polymyositis / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013945:Thymoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Giant cell polymyositis; Muscle MRI; Myasthenia gravis; Thymoma