Medically resistant juvenile myasthenia gravis following thymectomy: Role for FDG PET/CT

Florence Ngu; Michael Cardamone; Dylan Wanaguru; Bruce Currie; Eva Alina Wegner; Ian Andrews; Walter Haindl

Journal of Pediatric Surgery Case Reports (Aug 2020)

Medically resistant juvenile myasthenia gravis following thymectomy: Role for FDG PET/CT

Florence Ngu,
Michael Cardamone,
Dylan Wanaguru,
Bruce Currie,
Eva Alina Wegner,
Ian Andrews,
Walter Haindl

Affiliations

Florence Ngu: Department of Paediatric Surgery, Sydney Children's Hospital, High St, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia; Corresponding author.
Michael Cardamone: Department of Paediatric Neurology, Sydney Children's Hospital, High St, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia; School of Women's and Children's Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, High Street, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia
Dylan Wanaguru: Department of Paediatric Surgery, Sydney Children's Hospital, High St, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia; School of Women's and Children's Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, High Street, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia
Bruce Currie: Department of Paediatric Surgery, Sydney Children's Hospital, High St, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia; School of Women's and Children's Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, High Street, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia
Eva Alina Wegner: Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Prince of Wales Hospital, Barker St, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia; Prince of Wales Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, High St, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia
Ian Andrews: Department of Paediatric Neurology, Sydney Children's Hospital, High St, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia; School of Women's and Children's Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, High Street, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia
Walter Haindl: Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Prince of Wales Hospital, Barker St, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 59
p. 101494

Abstract

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Thymectomy is part of a multimodal treatment strategy for juvenile myasthenia gravis. Symptoms that persist following thymectomy may be due to residual or ectopic thymic tissue. We report the use of FDG PET/CT to locate residual thymic tissue following thymectomy in a 10 year old girl with acetylcholine-receptor-antibody-positive myasthenia gravis, who remained refractory to medical therapy. The patient subsequently underwent completion thymectomy with improvement but not remission of her condition.

Published in Journal of Pediatric Surgery Case Reports

ISSN: 2213-5766 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Pediatrics; Medicine: Surgery
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-pediatric-surgery-case-reports/

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