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Maternal myasthenia gravis complicated by fetal arthrogryposis multiplex congenita

J T Chieza1, I Fleming, N Parry

  • 1Department of Anaesthesia, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. jtchieza@yahoo.co.uk

International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia
|November 30, 2010
PubMed

We report the management of a 24-year-old primigravid woman who was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis at 20weeks of gestation. Maternal symptoms improved with therapeutic plasma exchange, steroids, immunoglobulin therapy and pyridostigmine. Despite this, the fetus had arthrogryposis multiplex congenita due to trans-placental transfer of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies. The baby was delivered by elective caesarean section at 34weeks of gestation but died in the immediate postpartum period. The mother underwent thymectomy within five weeks of delivery. The implications of myasthenia gravis for both the mother and baby are discussed.

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