Temporal deterioration of neurological symptoms and increase of serum acetylcholine receptor antibody levels after thymectomy: a case report of a cat with myasthenia gravis

J Vet Med Sci. 2017 Jan 10;78(12):1893-1896. doi: 10.1292/jvms.16-0134. Epub 2016 Sep 3.

Abstract

Neurological signs and serum acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChR-Ab) levels before and after thymectomy were monitored in a 6-year-old male cat with acquired Myasthenia Gravis (MG) as a paraneoplastic syndrome of thymoma. Soon after surgery, the neurological symptoms relapsed, and the cholinesterase inhibitor was administered to control them. The AChR-Ab levels increased postoperatively until 90 days after surgery. This is the first report on long term measurements of serum AChR-Ab levels in a cat with MG. Although thymectomy is valuable for the removal of thymoma, it may not resolve MG symptoms, neurological signs and serum AChR-Ab levels, without medication early after surgery. Also, this case report indicates that the AChR-Ab level might be a guide to detect a deterioration of MG symptoms.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autoantibodies / blood*
  • Cat Diseases / drug therapy
  • Cat Diseases / immunology*
  • Cat Diseases / surgery
  • Cats
  • Male
  • Myasthenia Gravis / drug therapy
  • Myasthenia Gravis / immunology
  • Myasthenia Gravis / veterinary*
  • Neostigmine / therapeutic use
  • Paraneoplastic Syndromes / immunology
  • Paraneoplastic Syndromes / surgery
  • Paraneoplastic Syndromes / veterinary*
  • Receptors, Cholinergic / immunology*
  • Thymectomy / veterinary
  • Thymoma / immunology
  • Thymoma / surgery
  • Thymoma / veterinary*
  • Thymus Neoplasms / immunology
  • Thymus Neoplasms / surgery
  • Thymus Neoplasms / veterinary*

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Receptors, Cholinergic
  • Neostigmine