A Thymoma (Adenoma of the Thymus) from an Unusual Case of Myasthenia Gravis, with Observations on the General Pathology

Abstract

In 1936 I presented a report of four cases of myasthenia gravis, in two of which gross thymic lesions were found. At that time in a review of the literature only 80 cases of myasthenia gravis which had come to autopsy were found, and among these were 35 in which a lesion of the thymus constituted a prominent anatomic feature. It appears that progress toward a more exact understanding of myasthenia gravis has been largely hindered because of the small number of cases that have been studied by the pathologist. The importance of having recorded all cases of myasthenia gravis with definite pathologic findings I have previously emphasized.