Computed tomography of the thymus gland in myasthenia gravis

Sixteen consecutive patients with myasthenia gravis were examined by computed tomography (CT) before thymectomy. Surgical and histologic findings were compared with those obtained at CT. The results, like those of most other recent studies, indicate that CT is a reliable method for identifying thymoma. In all three patients with thymoma, and in five out of eight patients with hyperplasia, the lesion was observed at CT, giving an overall accuracy of 80%. Although tymic hyperplasia is a basically histological diagnosis an enlarged gland may give a correct diagnosis of this abnormality. (orig.)