Evaluation of Electrophysiological Response to Thymectomy in Patients with Myasthenia Gravis
Rawiphan Witoonpanich MD, FRCP*
Affiliation : * Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University
Clinical response to thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis varies in terms of timing and degree of improvement. Electrophysiological test is a reasonably reliable and objective way to evaluate neuromuscular transmission in these patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the electrophysi- ological response before and after thymectomy by repetitive nerve stimulation test in order to estimate the timing of initial improvement, progress and degree of improvement after thymectomy. According to electro- physiological findings, it appeared that neuromuscular transmission in these patients might have begun to improve even as early as one week after thymectomy and steadily improved by the end of one year of the study corresponding to clinical improvement.
Keywords : Myasthenia gravis, Thymectomy, Repetitive nerve stimulation test, Improvement
