Adhesive Ileus Complicating Recurrent Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction in a Patient with Myasthenia Gravis

Abstract

Intestinal pseudo-obstruction is considered to be one of the most frequent gastrointestinal manifestations of myasthenia gravis, accompanied by the presence of neoplasia of the thymus gland in the vast majority of the cases presented in the international literature. Despite the fact that myasthenia gravis has been implicated to be the cause of recurrent episodes of intestinal pseudo-obstruction, adhesive ileus has never been reported to complicate this – in any sense rare – condition. We present a unique case of a patient with myasthenia gravis, free of thymus neoplasia, who was submitted to emergency surgery due to the presence of extended adhesive ileus as a complication of chronic intestinal functional obstruction.

Keywords

• Adhesive ileus
• Intestinal pseudo-obstruction
• Emergency surgery
• Myasthenia gravis