[Syndrome of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis after thymectomy performed for myasthenic syndrome]

A case of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was observed developing three months after thymectomy in a woman aged 52 years. The patient had been referred for thymectomy because of myasthenic signs increasing in intensity since 2 years. Myasthenia was confirmed by electrophysiological investigations, and the diagnosis was: myasthenic syndrome and suspected thymoma. During nearly 5 years of follow-up the following observations were made: there was a correlation between thymectomy and the development of ALS syndrome, thymosine administration produced clinical improvement, thymosine administration improved the function of thymus-dependent lymphocytes, thymosine withdrawal (due to non-availability) produced exacerbation of symptoms.