Temporal deterioration of neurological symptoms and increase of serum acetylcholine receptor antibody levels after thymectomy: a case report of a cat with myasthenia gravis.
Neurological signs and serum acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChR-Ab) levels before and after thymectomy were monitored in a 6-year-old male cat with acquired Myasthenia Gravis (MG) as a paraneoplastic syndrome of thymoma. Soon after surgery, the neurological symptoms relapsed, and the cholinesterase inhibitor was administered to control them. The AChR-Ab levels increased postoperatively until 90 days after surgery. This is the first report on long term measurements of serum AChR-Ab levels in a cat with MG. Although thymectomy is valuable for the removal of thymoma, it may not resolve MG symptoms, neurological signs and serum AChR-Ab levels, without medication early after surgery. Also, this case report indicates that the AChR-Ab level might be a guide to detect a deterioration of MG symptoms.
Shikoku Veterinary Medical Center, 3308-5 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kida-gun, Kagawa 761-0701, Japan.
Nao
N
Nagata
Takuma
T
Miyoshi
Yuzo
Y
Otake
Hitomi
H
Suzuki
Yumiko
Y
Kagawa
Tetsushi
T
Yamagami
Mitsuhiro
M
Irie
D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000601:surgery; D002415:Cats; D008297:Male; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009388:Neostigmine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010257:Paraneoplastic Syndromes / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology*; D013934:Thymectomy / Q000662:veterinary; D013945:Thymoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*
D001323:Autoantibodies; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D009388:Neostigmine