Abstract
A 58-year-old female reported to Yamaguchi University Medical Hospital with a complaint of fatigability. After a detailed examination, she was diagnosed as having myasthenia gravis with thymoma accompanying Graves’disease. She underwent extended thymectomy via bilateral thoracoscopic approach after she had achieved euthyroid status through medication. Soon after the surgery, temporary sinus tachycardia was identified, which was not due to thyrotoxic storm. She had no postoperative respiratory muscle paralysis or crisis due to progression of myasthenia gravis. It has been found that myasthenia gravis is often associated with autoimmune disease, especially Graves’disease. However, controversy surrounds the best therapeutic strategy in patients with myasthenia gravis and Graves’disease. Our case suggests that medical control of the hyperthyroidism followed by an extended thymectomy via a minimally invasive approach is a treatment option for patients with combined myasthenia gravis and hyperthyroidism.
