Anesthetic management of a patient with subclinical myasthenia gravis who underwent a thymectomy: a case report

Abstract

Abstract Background Some individuals with subclinical myasthenia gravis (MG) are positive for serum anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies, without neurological symptoms. There are no anesthetic management guidelines for subclinical MG. We report the anesthetic management of a patient with subclinical MG who underwent a thymectomy. Case presentation A 57-year-old female with subclinical MG was scheduled for an extended thymectomy. Anesthesia was induced and maintained with mainly propofol and remifentanil. We administrated the minimum amount of rocuronium with reference to train-of-four (TOF) monitoring when a neuromuscular relaxant is needed. Although the prolonged effect of rocuronium was observed, the TOF ratio had already recovered to 100% before the tracheal extubation. Postoperative analgesia was performed by a continuous epidural infusion of levobupivacaine. Conclusion We reported the anesthetic management of a patient with subclinical MG who underwent a thymectomy. Further research is necessary to clarify subclinical MG patients' sensitivity to rocuronium.

Keywords

• Subclinical myasthenia gravis
• Anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies
• Extended thymectomy