Transcript - Catalyst

Outcome of
Thymectomy in Juvenile
Myasthenia Gravis
Surbhi Mathur
General Surgery PGY1
[email protected]
Agenda
 Case presentation
 Myasthenia Gravis
 Treatment Options
 Outcomes of Thymectomy in juvenile Myasthenia
Gravis
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Case Presentation
Patient Identification- MS is an 11-year-old kid with autoimmune
juvenile Myasthenia Gravis who first developed symptoms
approximately 3 years ago.
Symptoms-
 Easy fatigability
 Oropharyngeal difficulty with problems speaking
and swallowing
 He was formally diagnosed with myasthenia gravis
in October 2012
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Case Presentation Contd..
 PAST MEDICAL HISTORY- None
 MEDICATIONS: Since his diagnosis in October 2012, he has been
treated with Mestinon and the doses escalated and he required
glycopyrrolate to counteract the side effects of the Mestinon
 He was at a maximum dose now and he still had symptoms of
weakness - specifically trouble speaking and swallowing. Recently on
his current doses he has been in pretty good condition, running and
very active, although he still has days when he is more symptomatic
with more fatigue and even difficulty swallowing
 He has been on his current medication dose for about the last 6 months
of the Mestinon (pyridostigmine), 60 mg/5 mL syrup, he takes 7 mL 4
times a day at 6:00 and 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 and 5:00 p.m
 Thirty minutes before each of these doses he takes glycopyrrolate, 2
mg/mL solution, 0.4 mL before each of the the 2 morning doses and 0.5
mL before each of the afternoon doses. He is on no other regular
medications.
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Case Presentation
 BIRTH HISTORY: He was born about 4 weeks early, but his birth
weight was 6 pounds 5 ounces. No notable perinatal problems. His
only overnight hospitalization was for his myasthenia a little more
than a year ago for the onset of his medications.
 OPERATIONS: His only operation was an outpatient myringotomy
tube placement when he was roughly 2 years of age.
 FAMILY HISTORY: No family history of neurological problems or
myasthenia. No one is ill at home. He has 3 older brothers and an
older sister, all alive and well. No family history of bleeding. No
family history of anesthetic problems.
 SOCIAL HISTORY: The family lives in Kalispell, Montana. They
drove over to Seattle for these visits. Marcos is in the 5th grade.
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Case Presentation Contd..
 He underwent robotic thoracoscopic thymectomy on 1/10, He
tolerated the above procedure very well and was admitted to the
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for hemodynamic monitoring on
postoperative day zero. After uneventful post op course he was
discharged on POD#2
 On the evening of their discharge, the family noticed that he had
an increasing red rash mainly over his anterior torso and some on
his back and neck. With some Benadryl, this improved, possibly
allergic reaction to oxycodone.
 Patholgy showed thymus completely normal for his age and
condition – no tumor (benign or malignant) but just active thymus
consistent with his diagnosis of myasthenia gravis.
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Myasthenia Gravis
 Myasthenia gravis is the most common disorder of
neuromuscular transmission.
 Weakness is the result of an antibody-mediated, T-cell
dependent immunological attack directed at proteins in
the postsynaptic membrane of the neuromuscular
junction (acetylcholine receptors and/or receptorassociated proteins).
 The cardinal feature of myasthenia gravis is fluctuating
skeletal muscle weakness, often with true muscle
fatigue.
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Treatment Options
 Four basic therapies used to treat MG:
 Symptomatic treatments (anticholinesterase agents)
 Chronic immunomodulating treatments (glucocorticoids and other
immunosuppressive drugs)
 Rapid immunomodulating treatments (plasmapheresis and
intravenous immune globulin)
 Surgical treatment (thymectomy)
 Symptoms can be treated with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (also
called anticholinesterase medications). These medications are all
that is ever needed for some patients. Pyridostigmine bromide
(Mestinon) is the main cholinesterase inhibitor currently in use
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Treatment Options Contd..
 Plasmapheresis and intravenous immune globulin
(IVIG) are rapid immunotherapies that work quickly but
have a short duration of action
 These are usually reserved for certain situations, such
as myasthenic crisis, preoperatively before
thymectomy, as a "bridge" while initiating slower acting
immunotherapies, or as an adjuvant to other
immunotherapeutic medications in patients with
refractory MG.
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Osserman Criteria
 To evaluate the severity of MG symptoms.
 Group1- Ocular
 Group 2- Generalized disease that is mild(2a) or
moderate (2b)
 Group 3- Severe generalized disease
 Group 4- Myasthenic crisis with respiratory impairment
requiring intubation.
Myasthenia Scale of Millichap and Dodge
 To evaluate the response to therapy
 GradeA- Complete remission and drug therapy is discontinued.
 Grade B- good improvement, both objective and subjective but
continuation of drug therapy required in the same or lower dosage.
 Grade C- slight improvement but large doses of medication
necssary.
 Grade D- no change or worse
 Grade E- Patient died
Juvenile myasthenia gravis: a twenty-year
experience

Performed a retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with myasthenia in the pediatric neuromuscular clinics at
UT Southwestern, between 1990 and 2010.

Osserman classification and the response to therapy scale of Millichap and Dodge were used to compare each patient's
severity of myasthenia and responsiveness to drugs before the surgery as a baseline and at the last visit, after thymectomy.

RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients were included; 29 (50%) were African American, and 34 (58.6%) were female. Age of
onset was 11 months to 17 years, and 38 patients (65%) presented as generalized myasthenia gravis. Forty-nine patients
(84%) were acetylcholine receptor antibody (AchR-Ab) positive. Of the 32 to undergo thymectomy, 19 subjects (59%)
experienced an improved response to B level on the Myasthenia Scale of Millichap and Dodge (good improvement, both
objective and subjective, but continuation of drug therapy required in the same or lower dosage) and 75% experienced a
drop in Osserman classification by at least 1. Of the 8 individuals who did not show improvement after thymectomy, 4
subjects (50%) underwent repeat thymectomy. They had initially less invasive fluoroscopic or thoracoscopic procedure.
Thymic hyperplasia was found in 7 patients (21%) and thymoma in 2.

CONCLUSIONS: Thymectomy was well tolerated by this group of children. There was clinical improvement after
thymectomy in two thirds of the AchR-Ab-positive generalized myasthenia gravis patients. Thymic pathology was seen in
less than one third of the patients who underwent thymectomy, with thymic hyperplasia being common.
Outcome of children with acetylcholine receptor (AChR)
antibody positive juvenile Myasthenia Gravis following
thymectomy
 Neuromuscul Disord. 2014 Jan;24(1):25-30. doi:
10.1016/j.nmd.2013.09.013. Epub 2013 Oct 1.
 Evaluated the outcome of children with generalized JMG who
underwent thymectomy between 1996 and 2010 at 2 tertiary
paediatric neurology referral centres in the United Kingdom.
 Twenty patients (15 female, 5 male), aged 13months to 15.5years
(median 10.4years) at disease onset, were identified. Prior to
thymectomy, disease severity was graded as IIb in 3, III in 11, and IV
in 6 patients according to the Osserman classification. All
demonstrated positive anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody
titres. All patients received pyridostigmine and 14 received
additional steroid therapy. Transternal thymectomy was performed at
the age of 2.7-16.6years (median 11.1years).
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Outcome of children with acetylcholine receptor (AChR)
antibody positive juvenile Myasthenia Gravis following
thymectomy
 At the last follow-up (10months to 10.9years, median
2.7years, after thymectomy),
 Majority - demonstrated substantial improvement,
although some had required additional immunemodulatory therapies. About one third achieved
complete remission. The postoperative morbidity was
low.
 No benefit was observed in one patient with thymoma.
 Conclude that thymectomy should be considered as a
treatment option early in the course of generalised AChR
antibody-positive JMG.
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Clinical characteristics and predictive factors of
myasthenic crisis after thymectomy.

Department of Neurology, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital,Republic of Korea.

Aim of study was to assess the clinical characteristics of myasthenic crisis after thymectomy
(MCAT) and to identify predictors affecting the occurrence of MCAT.

Of 66 patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), MCAT occurred in 20 patients (30.3%). The median
time interval from thymectomy to MCAT was 3.4 months.

MCAT occurred in 65.0% of patients within the first 6 months of a thymectomy, and 35.0% after 6
months. A second MCAT occurred in nine (45.0%) patients who survived the first MCAT, and in
seven (50.0%) of 14 patients with a history of a preoperative myasthenic crisis before thymectomy
(MCBT).

A history of MCBT, and clinical factors reflecting perioperative clinical severity at thymectomy,
including preoperative Osserman's grade, bulbar symptoms, use of immunosuppressants,
pulmonary function, and postoperative delayed ventilator weaning, were significantly correlated
with the occurrence of MCAT on univariate analysis.

MG patients with a history of MCBT are more susceptible to MCAT, particularly within the first 6
months of thymectomy.
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Thank You
Surbhi Mathur
General Surgery PGY1
[email protected]