COMPARATIVE APPRAISAL OF DIAGNOSTIC METHO DS IN LESIONS OF THE THYMUS

From analysis of the case records of 2,000 patients with the generaliz ed form of myasthenia, who underwent operation at the surgical faculty clinic of the Moscow Medical Academy, the authors discuss in detail t he results of using a wide spectrum of methods for examination of the thymus, including: pneumomediastinography (PMG), scintigraphy, phlebog raphy, computed and magnetoresonance tomography (CT and MRT). Taking i nto 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 mo st simple and safe for the patient. They also noted that CT made it po ssible to locate the pathological process more exactly, and provided a dditional information on the degree of the invasion, the presence of i mplants, and the condition of the other mediastinal organs. The indica tions for phlebography of the thymus and PMG are limited because of th eir invasiveness, difficult techniques, high risk of complications, an d relatively low informativeness. Scintigraphy of the thymus is the le ast informative examination method. In view of the high percentage of pseudopositive and pseudonegative results, it may be concluded that it s use for detecting lesions of the thymus in patients with myasthenia is hardly expedient.