Remission of Myasthenia and Thyrotoxicosis After Thymectomy
Authors: LESLIE J. DEGROOT
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1967)

Case Studies1 November 1967Remission of Myasthenia and Thyrotoxicosis After ThymectomyLESLIE J. DEGROOT, M.D., VINCENT PERLO, M.D., THOMAS GEPHART, M.D., ROBERT SCHWAB, M.D.LESLIE J. DEGROOT, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, VINCENT PERLO, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, THOMAS GEPHART, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, ROBERT SCHWAB, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-67-5-1042 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThat the thymus and the thyroid are closely related has been evident, at least on anatomical grounds, for 5 decades. Enlargement of the thymus in Graves' disease prompted Crotti (1) to do combined thymectomy and thyroidectomy on large numbers of patients. In 1922 this author reported the operation to be the "procedure of choice" for childhood Graves' disease. After years of desuetude interest has now again focused on the thymus. A possible autoimmune factor has been found in Graves' disease (2), the long-acting thyroid stimulator (LATS), identified tentatively as a 7S gamma globulin. Further, the thymus in Graves' disease is...References1. CROTTI A: Thyroid and Thymus. 774 pp. Lea & Febiger, New York, 1922. Google Scholar2. KRISSPLESHAKOVCHIEN JPVJR: Isolation and identification of the long-acting thyroid stimulator and its relation to hyperthyroidism and circumscribed pretibial myxedema. J. Clin. Endocr. 24: 1005, 1964. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. GUNNMICHIEIRVINE AWWJ: The thymus in thyroid disease. Lancet 2: 776, 1964. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. GROB D: Myasthenia gravis: current status of pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and management. J. Chronic Dis. 8: 536, 1958. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. DEGROOT LJ: Kinetic analysis of iodine metabolism. J. Clin. Endocr. 26: 149, 1966. CrossrefGoogle Scholar6. VIETSSCHWAB HRRS: Thymectomy for Myasthenia Gravis. Charles C Thomas, Publisher, Springfield, Ill., 1960. Google Scholar7. DRACHMAN DB: Myasthenia gravis and the thyroid gland. New Eng. J. Med. 266: 330, 1962. CrossrefGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Boston and Cambridge, MassachusettsFrom the Medical, Neurological, and Surgical Services of The Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and the Clinical Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.This study was supported in part by grant P-298, American Cancer Society, New York, N. Y., and grants AM-11085 and FR-88, U. S. Public Health Service, Washington, D. C.Requests for reprints should be addressed to Leslie J. DeGroot, M.D., Clinical Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. 02139. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byUtilizing Twins Concordance Rates to Infer the Predisposition to Myasthenia GravisLong-term follow-up of myasthenia gravis patients with hyperthyroidismAnterior mediastinal mass and Graves' disease.The CT detection of thymic hyperplasia in association with thyrotoxicosis: case reportImmune disease and HLA associations with myasthenia gravis.Hyperthyroidism. Causes, etiology of Graves’ disease, clinical features, general aspects of treatmentTHYROID DISEASE AND MYASTHENIA GRAVISLymphocytic Thyroiditis and ThyrotoxicosisMyasthenia gravis occurring in twins 1 November 1967Volume 67, Issue 5Page: 1042-1044KeywordsAutoimmune diseasesGlobulinsMedical servicesThymectomyThymusThyroidThyroidectomy Issue Published: 1 November 1967 PDF downloadLoading ...