Objective To investigate application values and techniques of robot-assisted extended thymectomy for the treatment of typeⅠmyasthenia gravis （MG） using Da Vinci S system. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 3 patients with MG who underwent robot-assisted extended thymectomy in General Hospital of Shenyang Military Command from March 2012 to September 2012. All the patients were ocular MG （typeⅠ） including 2 men （33 years and 66 years old respectively） and 1 woman （21 years old）. Surgical outcomes were analyzed. Results All the 3 patients successfully received robot-assisted extended thymectomy without accessorial incisions. None of the patients required converting to open sternotomy or postoperative reexploration for bleeding. Intraoperative blood loss was 5-10 ml．Overall operation time was95-138 minutes, and thymoma dissection time was 26-80 minutes. No myasthenic crisis or other major postoperative complic-ation occurred. Postoperative chest drainage duration was 3-9 days and postoperative hospital stay was 10-15 days. Two patientswere followed up for 6-12 months after discharge without MG recurrence. Conclusion Robot-assisted extended thymectomy is safe and feasible for the treatment of typeⅠMG with satisfactory results．
ObjectiveTo compare clinical effects of enlarged thymectomy for the treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG) complicated with thymoma via subxiphoid and subcostal arch thoracoscopic resection versus median sternotomy resection. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with MG complicated with thymoma admitted in Tangdu Hospital of the Air Force Military Medical University between December 2011 and December 2021. Patients who underwent subxiphoid and subcostal arch thoracoscopic enlarged thymectomy were allocated to a SR group, and patients who underwent median sternotomy enlarged thymectomy were allocated to a MR group. Perioperative outcomes were compared between the two groups. ResultsA total of 456 patients were collected. There were 51 patients in the MR group, including 30 males and 21 females aged 23-66 (49.5±11.8) years. There were 405 patients in the SR group, among whom 51 patients were matched to the MR group by propensity score matching, including 28 males and 23 females aged 26-70 (47.2±12.2) years. The operations were accomplished successfully in all patients, and no conversion to thoracotomy occurred in the SR group. The SR group had advantages in the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, chest drainage duration, hospital stay time, patients’ satisfaction level, pain score and complications (all P<0.05). No statistical difference was found in the number of intraoperative lymph node dissection stations, number of intraoperative lymph nodes dissected or remission of MG between the two groups (P>0.05). ConclusionSubxiphoid and subcostal arch thoracoscopic enlarged thymectomy and lymphadenectomy is a safe, effective and feasible minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of MG complicated with thymoma.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in patients with myasthenic crisis after thymectomy. Methods31 myasthenic crisis patients after thymectomy who initially used NIV,admitted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University between January 2011 and June 2013,were analyzed retrospectively.They were assigned to two groups according to the successful application of NIV or not,with 13 patients in the NIV success group and 18 patients in the NIV failure group.The related factors including gender,age,APACHEⅡ score when admitted to ICU,the results of blood gas analysis before NIV,thymoma or not,the history of myasthenic crisis,the history of chronic lung disease,and minute ventilation accounted for the largest percentage of predicted value (MVV%pred)were analyzed. ResultsThere were no significant differences in age,gender,or APACHEⅡ score between two groups (P>0.05).The PaCO2 in the NIV success group was lower than that in the NIV failure group.The preoperative MVV%pred in the NIV success group was higher than that in the NIV failure group.There were no significant differences between two groups in pH,PO2,thymoma or not,the history of myasthenic crisis,or the history of chronic lung disease (P>0.05).If using the 45 mm Hg as the cut-off value of PaCO2 and 60% as the cut-off value of MVV%pred,the incidence of PaCO2<45 mm Hg and the incidence of MVV%pred>60% were higher in the NIV success group than those in the NIV failure group (84.6% vs.33.3%, P<0.05;100% vs. 55.6%,P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis revealed that PaCO2<45 mm Hg was an independent influence factor for successful application of NIV in patients with myasthenic crisis after thymectomy. ConclusionPaCO2<45 mm Hg can be a predictor of successful application of NIV in patients with myasthenic crisis after thymectomy.For the patients underwent NIV whose PaCO2<45 mm Hg or MVV%pred<60%,the clinician should predict the possibility of failure and prepared for intubation.
In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors have begun to be used in targeted cancer therapy. Despite the favorable results in terms of oncological outcomes, these treatments have been associated with a variety of immune-related adverse events. Neuromuscular disease is more common among adverse events involving the nervous system. With the increasing use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, the early recognition and treatment of neuromuscular immune-related adverse events are very important. In this review, we are focused on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of neuromuscular diseases (including peripheral neuropathy, myasthenia gravis, and myositis) caused by immune checkpoint inhibitors, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for improving the diagnosis and treatment ability of users of immune checkpoint inhibitors for such neuromuscular diseases and reducing the disability rate and mortality rate caused by immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Objective To summarize experiences of surgical treatment and long-term results of myasthenia gravis (MG). Methods Two hundred thirty-six patients underwent thymectomy for MG in our department from Jan.1978 to Dec. 2002. The perioperative management, relative factors of postoperative crisis and long-term results were analysed. Results In 236 patients postoperative crisis took place in 44 cases accounted for 18.6%. The occurrence of postoperative crisis was related to preoperative management, modified Osserman clinical classification and combination with thymoma. Three cases died in the postoperative periods. Among them, one died of acute respiratory distress syndrome induced by aspiration and the other died of crisis. The effective rate in 1, 3, 5 years was 84.6%, 91.0% and 89.0% respectively. Conclusions Thymectomy for MG is safe and effective. Delayed extubation could decrease the needs of tracheotomy in patients with high risk factors for postoperative crisis. The partial sternotomy approach is less traumatic but the long-term effects of surgery are identical to those reported by the most authors.
Objective To exploring the effectiveness of perioperative application of new surgical clinical classification and staging for myasthenia gravis (MG) in reducing the incidence of postoperative myasthenic crisis (MC). Methods The clinical data of patients with generalized MG admitted to the Comprehensive Treatment Center for Myasthenia Gravis of Henan Provincial People’s Hospital from January 2018 to June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, who were scored with myasthenia gravis-activities of daily living (MG-ADL) score and quantification of the myasthenia gravis (QMG) score at the first visit, 1 day before surgery, and 3 days after surgery. The patients were divided into a group A (typeⅡ) and a group B (typeⅢ+Ⅳ+Ⅴ) by the new surgical clinical classification and staging of MG according to the disease progression process, and all patients underwent expanded thoracoscopic thymus (tumor) resection after medication and other interventions to control symptoms in remission or stability. The incidence of MC and the efficiency rate after surgery were analyzed. The normal distribution method and percentile method were used to calculate the unilateral 95% reference range of the QMG score and MG-ADL score. Results Finally 126 patients were enrolled, including 62 males and 64 females, aged 13-71 years, with an average age of 46.00±13.00 years. There were 95 patients in the group A and 31 patients in the group B, and the differences of the preoperative baseline data between the two groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The incidence of postoperative MC was 1.05% (1/95) in the group A and 3.23% (1/31) in the group B (P>0.05). The effective one-sided 95% reference range of the QMG score and MG-ADL score 1 day before surgery was 0-7.75 and 0-5.00, and there was no postoperative death in both groups. Conclusion The new surgical clinical classification and staging of MG can guide the timing of surgery, which can benefit patients undergoing surgery for MG and greatly reduce the incidence of postoperative MC.
ObjectiveTo investigate the perioperative safety of patients with myasthenia gravis who take high doses of oral corticosteroids. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients with myasthenia gravis who received oral corticosteroids and underwent thoracoscopic thymectomy at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital from April 2013 to October 2019. Patients were divided into a high-dose steroid group and a medium-to-low dose steroid group based on the dosage of oral steroids, and the clinical data of the two groups were compared. ResultsA total of 102 patients were included, including 19 (18.62%) males and 83 (81.37%) females, with an average age of (32.25±9.83) years. All patients in both groups successfully completed the surgery without major intraoperative bleeding, conversion to open chest surgery, delayed extubation, severe infection, or perioperative death. The daily oral steroid dose for the high-dose steroid group was (35.81±4.29) mg, and for the medium-to-low dose steroid group it was (15.29±2.17) mg. There was no statistical difference in the operation time [(124.69±23.51) min vs. (117.89±21.46) min, P=0.172] and intraoperative blood loss [(21.19±3.48) mL vs. (20.56±3.41) mL, P=0.419] between the two groups. Postoperatively, 12 (11.76%) patients developed complications: one patient of myasthenic crisis (medium-to-low dose steroid group), which was improved after short-term respiratory support and intravenous immunoglobulin treatment; 11 patients of respiratory/swallowing difficulties (9 in the low-dose steroid group and 2 in the high-dose steroid group), which were improved after anticholinergic treatment to reduce oral secretions and sputum suction, and the patients were discharged smoothly. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups (P=0.637). ConclusionOn the basis of good perioperative management, it is safe and feasible for patients with myasthenia gravis who take high dose of oral steroids to undergo thymectomy, and they have the same perioperative safety as patients with medium-to-low dose steroids.
ObjectiveTo analyze the surgical efficacy and influencing factors of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with thymic atrophy after thymectomy. MethodsThe clinical data of MG patients with thymic atrophy undergoing thymectomy between October 2014 and May 2018 in Daping Hospital of Army Medical University and Shijiazhuang People Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. ResultsA total of 71 patients were collected, including 40 males and 31 females with a mean age of 45.17±12.42 years. All patients received the surgery successfully. After the surgery, 20 (28.17%) patients were stable remission, 12 (16.90%) patients were minimal manifestation status,19 (26.76%) patients were improved, 5 (7.04%) patients showed no change, 3 (4.23%) patients were worsened, 10 (14.08%) patients were exacerbated and 2 (2.82%) patients were dead. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the preoperative illness duration (OR=4.61, 95%CI 1.13-18.85, P=0.03), and postoperative pyridostigmine combined with immunosuppressive (OR=0.12, 95%CI 0.03-0.45, P=0.00) were independent risk factors for long-term efficacy of thymectomy for MG patients with thymic atrophy. ConclusionEarly surgery after diagnosis of MG and postoperative pyridostigmine combined with immunosuppressive treatment is beneficial to the prognosis of MG patients with thymic atrophy.
Objective To evaluate the risk factors affecting the prognosis in patients with myasthenia gravis after thymeetomy. Methods Therapeutic effects were evaluated with Relative Counting Method in 136 cases with myasthenia gravis who receivingthymectomy. Six clinical factors including sex, age, preoperative course, et al. were converted into quantitative parameters and used for analysis. Cumulative logit model for ordinal response was employed to investigate the therapeutic effects of various factors. Results Sex, age and preoperative course exerted significant effects on postoperative prognosis in patients with myasthenia gravis, while clinical subtype, pathological changes and preoperative administration of cholinesterase inhibitors had no significant impact on therapeutic effects. Conclusion Some factors may lead to the remission and improvement in postoperative patients with myasthenia gravis, therefore, they should be included for the evaluation of prognosis. Early diagnosis and early thymeetomy may improve the therapeutic effects and shorten the duration of amelioration.
Objective To investigate the value of ice test in the diagnosis of ptosis of myasthenia gravis(MG). Methods A total of 32 patients with myasthenic ptosis and 33 with nonmyasthenic ptosis underwent ice and rest test which were performed alternately twice within 1 day on each patient. Besides, neostigmine test was performed on the patients with myasthenic ptosis after ice and rest test . Two observers who didnrsquo;t know the clinical diagnosis were asked to evaluate the improvement of eyelid elevation by measuring the width between the midpoints of upper and lower eyelid with a 20mm steel rule (precision of 0.5 mm). The average of margin of palpebral fissure width after double ice or rest tests subtrac ted from the one before the tests in one patient was the standard of the improve ment of eyelid elevation. Results Ice and rest test improved myasthenic ptosis but not nonmyasthenic ptosis with the specificity of 100% in both of the tests. In addition, ice test improved myasthenic ptosis more effectively with a higher sensitivity of 78%, and it could also improve the palpebral fissure width in pa i tents with complete myasthenic ptosis apparently. Compared with the neostigmine test, ice test had lower sensitivity, cost shorter time, didnt need injection which avoided the discomfort, and had no side effects. Conclusion Ice test is a simple and safe means with high sensitivity and specificity to diagnose myasthenic ptosis, which is valuable in clinical application. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2006,22:382-384）