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Latex anaphylaxis in a myasthenic child undergoing thymectomy.

Anaphylactic shock occurred in a 9-year-old myasthenic boy after induction of anesthesia for thymectomy. Resuscitation was successful. Subsequent skin testing identified latex as the cause. Although the patient was not in a high-risk group for latex allergy, detailed questioning confirmed that sensitivity had developed during repeated exposures in previous anesthesia and dental care. Six months later, after taking steroids and antihistaminic drugs prophylactically and avoiding all latex-containing products, the boy underwent uncomplicated thymectomy. The possibility of latex allergy should be borne in mind when dealing with patients previously exposed to repeated medical care. Adequate, latex-free equipment should be available in operating rooms to deal with patients who are allergic to latex.

Anaphylaxis↗

Thymectomy in black children with juvenile myasthenia gravis.

Fifteen black children with juvenile myasthenia gravis presented to our institution over a 10-year period at ages ranging from 18 months to 7 years, 4 males and 11 females. Twelve presented with progressive, generalised weakness and 3 had bulbar manifestations. Ocular signs were absent in 2 patients. All 15 patients were placed on pyridostigmine bromide (Mestinon) and 1 also required steroids and plasmapheresis. Medical therapy only was instituted in 5 patients, of whom 2 came to surgery, 2 died, and 1 was lost to follow-up. Thymectomy was performed in 12 children (including the 2 with failed medical therapy) via a median sternotomy with no mortality or morbidity related to the operation. The timing of surgery was less than 3 months in 75% of the children. Thymic hyperplasia was noted in 10 glands and 2 were reported as normal. Of the children in the operative group, 83% are on minimal medication or in total remission. Better results were noted in young patients with early thymectomy and diseased glands.

Black People↗

[The effect of late thymectomy and thymosin on the quantity of antibody forming cells in the spleen and lymph nodes of guinea pigs].

A study was made of the effect of thymectomy carried out in guinea pigs aged 1 month on the antibody-forming cell (AFC) count (cells forming antibodies against sheep erythrocytes), and also the effect of thymosin on the AFC distribution in the spleen and the lymph nodes of thymectomized animals. It was shown that as a result of thymectomy the AFC content increased in the peripheral lymphoid organs, and, particularly, in the spleen. But under the effect of thymosin the AFC count in the spleen decreased and in the lymph nodes somewhat increased; this permitted one to suggest a normalizing influence of thymosin on the AFC count in the thymectomized animals.

Animals↗

Thymectomy for myasthenia gravis: outcome of treatment in a tertiary hospital.

The clinical records of 24 of the 31 patients who underwent thymectomy for myasthenia gravis from January 1991 to December 1995 were reviewed. The mean age of patients was 36.5 years, with a male : female ratio of 1 : 5. The average duration of symptoms prior to consultation was 16.6 months. Most of the patients presented diplopia with clinical stage IIA prior to surgery. The most common procedure utilized was thymectomy via a median sternotomy under general anesthesia-epidural anesthesia. Five of the 24 patients (21%) were immediately extubated postoperatively while 19 remained intubated, with 12 patients attached to a ventilator. Extubation ranged from the first postoperative day up to more than two weeks postoperatively. The average length of ICU stay was 8.1 days and the average length of hospital stay was 31.1 days. The most common morbidity was pneumonia (38%). One patient had a brief reactive psychosis and another patient had phrenic nerve injury which manifested 2 weeks postoperatively. The average length of follow-up was 14.8 months and the mean follow-up period was 24.5 months. There was a general trend of decrease in the dose of medication. However, there was an increase in the medication in 3 patients with 2 showing clinical improvement.

Adolescent↗

Video-assisted thoracic surgery thymectomy for myasthenia gravis.

Video-assisted thoracic surgery thymectomy was employed in the management of myasthenia gravis in a series of 20 patients. As the technique evolved, the authors preferred a right-sided approach, and the technical details of the process are discussed. At a mean follow-up of 30 months, clinical results are comparable to published series of other approaches. It is hoped that the superior cosmesis associated with this less-invasive approach leads to earlier thymectomy in management of this disease.

Endoscopy↗

Nephrocompensatory growth following thymectomy.

Thymectomy performed 28 days before unilateral nephrectomy produced significant inhibition in compensatory renal growth (CRG) in 3-6-month-old rats. Sera from thymectomized animals are not deprived of their renotrophic activity, but thymectomy of serum recipients almost abolished the capability of renotrophic serum to produce CRG.

Age Factors↗

Concomitant enhancement of the response to Mls-1a antigens and the induction of post-thymectomy autoimmune gastritis in BALB/c mice.

We examined the role of Mls antigens in the induction of autoimmune gastritis (AIG) in BALB/c and DBA/2 mice subjected to thymectomy. The prevalence of AIG in Mls-1b mice which underwent thymectomy on day 3 after birth (3d-Tx) was 78% (mean), while in Mls-1a DBA/2 mice it was < 6%. Whereas AIG-negative 3d-Tx DBA/2 mice produced 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME)-sensitive antiparietal cell autoantibody, AIG-positive BALB/c mice made 2-ME-resistant anti-parietal cell autoantibody. In addition, the prevalence of AIG in 3d-Tx BALB/c mice which were rendered tolerant to MIs-1a antigens by injection of bone marrow cells from (BALB/c x DBA/2)F1 mice within 24 h after birth was decreased compared with the non-tolerant control mice; the prevalence being 80% in the controls and 30% in the tolerant animals. Thus, the activation of helper T cells, including T cells responding to Mls-1a antigens and including immunoglobulin class switch, appeared to be closely associated with the induction of AIG. Flowcytometric analysis confirmed that CD4- V beta 6 T cells had increased in the regional lymph nodes of the stomach in AIG mice. However, an increase in the number of V beta 11 T cells, which are known to increase in 3d-Tx mice, occurred in the CD8, but not in the CD4 T cell population. Injection of MoAb to L3T4, but not Lyt2, V beta 6- or V beta 8-TCR, into 3d-Tx BALB/c and syngeneic nude mice which had received spleen cells of 3d-Tx BALB/c mice bearing AIG completely abrogated the development of AIG, despite there being remarkable decreases in T cells expressing relevant markers to the injected antibodies in all the mice. These findings suggest that the increase of V beta 6+ L3T4+ T cells in AIG mice was concomitant with the activation of AIG-inducing V beta 6- L3T4+ T cells.

Animals↗

Response to thymectomy in South Indian patients with myasthenia gravis.

AIMS: The rate of remission among patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) following thymectomy and the predictors of the outcome have revealed vast variation in studies from different geographic regions raising suspicion about the influence of ethnic factors. MATERIAL & METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the outcome of 71 South Indian MG patients who were thymectomized between 1987 through 1993 and analyzed the relationship between clinical and histopathological features and postthymectomy outcome. RESULTS: The clinical severity of the disease did not differ between the 29 patients with and 42 patients without a thymoma. Seventynine percent of our patients responded favourably to thymectomy; without additional immunosupression therapy, 52% achieved a near-complete remission. An younger age and milder disease correlated with a good outcome. Patients with thymoma responded as favourably as those without a thymoma. CONCLUSIONS: The postthymectomy response of South Indian MG patients in general did not differ from that of Western and Oriental patients.

Adolescent↗

Appearance of systemic lupus erythematosus in patients with myasthenia gravis following thymectomy: two case reports.

We report two cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients who had undergone thymectomy. SLE developed in the patients 3 months or 13 yr after thymectomy, and polyarthritis was the main clinical manifestation of SLE. Both patients fulfilled at least four of the revised criteria for the classification of SLE. In this report, we describe two postthymectomy lupus patients and perform a comparative review of previous cases.

Adult↗

[Can one use high thoracic epidural analgesia in postoperative intensive care of the myasthenia patient following trans-sternal thymectomy?].

Analgesia is an important problem in myasthenia gravis patients who have undergone transsternal thymectomy. Postoperative pain interferes with pulmonary function, which is already limited by the disease. The choice of medication is restricted because many analgesics are synergic to the myasthenia gravis syndrome and detrimental to the patient. Three patients with severe myasthenia gravis are presented who had undergone transsternal thymectomy with good postoperative results. They received high thoracal epidural anesthesia (C7-Th1/Th1-Th2/Th2-Th3) with a solution of bupivacaine and morphine (20 ml 0.25% bupivacaine with 10% morphine). The patients were extubated in the first 48 hours and monitoring of respiratory function (CV2, PO2, PCO2) showed satisfactory values. With this type of analgesia we obtained early mobilization and good patient cooperation. Although limited this favourable experience confirms that high thoracal epidural anesthesia is a sure technique which allows rapid weaning from the ventilator and maximum comfort for the patient. It avoids the use of other medication or analgesics which are contraindicated in these patients.

Adult↗

Thymectomy in black children with juvenile myasthenia gravis

Fifteen black children with juvenile myasthenia gravis presented to our institution over a 10-year period at ages ranging from 18 months to 7 years, 4 males and 11 females. Twelve presented with progressive, generalised weakness and 3 had bulbar manifestations. Ocular signs were absent in 2 patients. All 15 patients were placed on pyridostigmine bromide (Mestinon) and 1 also required steroids and plasmapheresis. Medical therapy only was instituted in 5 patients, of whom 2 came to surgery, 2 died, and 1 was lost to follow-up. Thymectomy was performed in 12 children (including the 2 with failed medical therapy) via a median sternotomy with no mortality or morbidity related to the operation. The timing of surgery was less than 3 months in 75% of the children. Thymic hyperplasia was noted in 10 glands and 2 were reported as normal. Of the children in the operative group, 83% are on minimal medication or in total remission. Better results were noted in young patients with early thymectomy and diseased glands.

Journal Article↗

[Post-thymectomy extrathymic tumors].

The Authors report the case of a 78 year old woman affected with two synchronous primary cancers (epidermoid bronchial and rectal adenocarcinoma); 16 years previously, after the discovery of a thymoma, she underwent thymectomy. Thus, the discussion issue is if post-thymectomy extra-thymic malignancies are to be considered just a simple coincidence or a true syndrome.

Adenocarcinoma↗

THYMECTOMY: EFFECT ON SECONDARY DISEASE IN RADIATION CHIMERAS.

The pattern of secondary mortality in mice after irradiation and hemopoietic cell transplantation was changed by thymectomy of the recipients 3 weeks before irradiation. In isologous and parent-to-F(1) chimeras excess mortality was occurring later than the usual period of secondary disease. In thymectomized heterologous chimeras secondary mortality was decreased and delayed

Animals↗

New technique of complete thymectomy in adult rats without tracheal intubation.

Adult rat thymectomy is frequently performed as part of the protocol for experiments in transplant immunology. Current methods used are either imprecise (suction methods) or require tracheal intubation (surgical technique) and are thus difficult to master. We have developed a safe technique of surgical removal of the thymus with resolution of any pneumothorax by suction through the xyphoid insertions of the diaphragm. This method is easy to learn and gives a 95% success rate.

Animals↗

Post-thymectomy autoimmune gastritis: fine specificity and pathogenicity of anti-H/K ATPase-reactive T cells.

Thymectomy at day 3 of life (d3Tx) results in the development of organ-specific autoimmunity. We have recently shown that d3Tx BALB/c mice which develop autoimmune gastritis contain CD4+ T cells specific for the gastric parietal cell proton pump, H/K ATPase. Here, we demonstrate that freshly explanted gastric lymph node (LN) cells from d3Tx mice react significantly to the H/K ATPase alpha chain, but only marginally to the beta chain. Two H/K ATPase-reactive T cell lines were derived from the gastric LN of d3Tx mice. Both are CD4+, TCR alpha/beta-, and I-Ad restricted, and recognize distinct peptides from the H/K ATPase alpha chain. One cell line secretes Th1 and the other Th2 cytokines, but both are equally potent in inducing gastritis with distinct profiles of cellular infiltration in nu/nu recipient animals. Neither of the cell lines induced disease in normal BALB/c recipients and transfer of disease to nu/nu recipients was blocked by co-transfer of normal BALB/c spleen cells containing CD4+ CD25+ cells. Although CD4+ CD25+ T cells are thought to emigrate from the thymus after day 3 of life, they could be identified in LN of 2-day-old animals. The capacity of CD4+ CD25+ T cells to abrogate the pathogenic activity in vivo of both activated Th1/Th2 lines strongly suggests that this suppressor T cell population may have a therapeutic role in other models of established autoimmunity. The availability of well-characterized lines of autoantigen-specific T cells should greatly facilitate the analysis of the mechanism of action and target of the CD4+ CD25+ immunoregulatory cells.

Animals↗

A case of myasthenia gravis with thyrotoxicosis treated by combined subtotal thyroidectomy and total thymectomy.

Thyrotoxicosis occurring in conjunction with myasthenia gravis is rare. The usual treatment consists of medical control of the thyrotoxicosis, then thymectomy and later subtotal thyroidectomy. The case reported here concerns a 19-year-old girl who had surgical treatment for both lesions on the same occasion. With proper medical preparation, modern anaesthesia and respiratory care, the surgical treatment of both lesions can be accomplished in one stage.

Adult↗

Development of sheep thymus in relation to in utero thymectomy experiments.

The developing thymus of sheep embryos has been examined from 20 days of gestation onwards. The initial relationships of the thymus to the parathyroid III and the pericardium are maintained so that the thymus develops as an extensive and complex structure consisting of paired cords of tissues on either side of the neck continuous with a single, fused structure in the anterior mediastinum. Histological examination of the developing thymus revealed that thymic lymphopoiesis commences at 36 days of gestation (term = 150 days). The results indicate that conclusions drawn from sheep thymectomy, usually performed after 60 days of gestation, must be interpreted with caution.

Animals↗

The effect of thymectomy at different stages of larval development on the immune response of the clawed toad to sheep erythrocytes.

The role of the thymus during the first three weeks of larval life in the maturation of humoral immunity in the amphibian, Xenopus laevis, is examined. Thymectomy throughout this period dramatically affects the heterologous red cell response of young adults. Sheep erythrocyte (SRBC) administration elicited haemolytic antibody production in the blood and in the spleen (measured by the appearance of plaque forming cells) of control animals, but failed to do so in all thymectomized toadlets. Moreover, use of the immunocyto-adherence assay, which proved to be a sensitive test for SRBC reactivity in control Xenopus, indicated a complete absence of induced responsiveness to this antigen in the spleens of thymectomized toadlets, even in those animals thymectomized as late as 22 days of age. In contrast to allograft immunity in Xenopus, Which is suppressed only by thymic ablation during the first two weeks of larval life, the development of reactivity to heterologous erythrocytes therefore requires an additional period of thymic influence during ontogeny. These experiments support a concept of thymus-dependent cell heterogeneity in amphibians.

Animals↗