The Value of CT and MRI for Determining Thymoma in Patients With Myasthenia Gravis

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for differentiating thymoma from nonthymoma abnormalities in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG). A cross-sectional study of 53 patients with MG, who had undergone surgical thymectomy, was conducted at 103 Hospital (Hanoi, Vietnam) and Cho Ray Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) during August 2014 and January 2017. The CT and MRI images of patients with MG were qualitatively and quantitatively (radiodensity and chemical shift ratio [CSR]) analyzed to determine and compare their ability to distinguish thymoma from nonthymoma abnormalities. Logistic regression was used to identify the association between imaging parameters (eg, CSR) and the thymoma status. The receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis was used to determine the differentiating ability of CSR and radiodensity. As results, of the 53 patients with MG, 33 were with thymoma and 20 were with nonthymoma abnormalities. At qualitative assessment, MRI had significantly higher accuracy than did CT in differentiating thymoma from nonthymoma abnormalities (94.3% vs 83%). At quantitative assessment, both the radiodensity and CSR were significantly higher for thymoma compared with nonthymoma groups ( P < .001). The ROC analysis showed that CSR had significantly higher sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) than radiodensity in discriminating between the 2 groups (CSR: Se 100%, Sp 95% vs radiodensity: Se 90.9%, Sp 70%). When combining both qualitative and quantitative parameters, MRI had even higher accuracy than did CT in thymoma diagnosis ( P = .031). In conclusion, chemical shift MRI was more accurate than CT for differentiating thymoma from nonthymoma in patients with MG.