[Comparative evaluation of diagnostic methods in thymus disease].

From analysis of the case records of 2,000 patients with the generalized form of myasthenia, who underwent operation at the surgical faculty clinic of the Moscow Medical Academy, the authors discuss in detail the results of using a wide spectrum of methods for examination of the thymus, including: pneumomediastinography (PMG), scintigraphy, phlebography, computed and magnetoresonance tomography (CT and MRT). Taking into account the sensitivity and specificity of each of these methods, the indications and contraindications, and the degree of invasiveness, the authors concluded that MR tomography is the method of choice for examination of the thymus. It yields the rechest information and is most simple and safe for the patient. They also noted that CT made it possible to locate the pathological process more exactly, and provided additional information on the degree of the invasion, the presence of implants, and the condition of the other mediastinal organs. The indications for phlebography of the thymus and PMG are limited because of their invasiveness, difficult techniques, high risk of complications, and relatively low informativeness. Scintigraphy of the thymus is the least informative examination method. In view of the high percentage of pseudopositive and pseudonegative results, it may be concluded that its use for detecting lesions of the thymus in patients with myasthenia is hardly expedient.