Robotic trans-subxiphoid extended thymectomy in a patient with thymoma-associated pemphigus

Abstract

We herein firstly reported that a patient with thymoma-associated pemphigus (TAP) underwent a robotic-assisted trans-subxiphoid thoracoscopic extended thymectomy and then achieved stable resolution. The patient, a 47-year-old male, was first admitted to our hospital owing to stomatitis and bullae of the trunk after four months' prednisone treatment. On admission, chest computed tomography (CT) revealed an anterior-mediastinal mass and it was initially diagnosed as a thymoma. He was positive for anti-BP (bullous pemphigoid)-180 antibody and anti-desmoglein 3 antibody. Then, a robotic-assisted thymectomy was performed, following which, the anti-BP-180 and anti-desmoglein 3 antibody titres have declined. The patient's mucocutaneous lesions improved, and the steroid dose was gradually decreased from 60 to 40 mg/day. According to previous reports, and the experience of the presented case, we therefore believe that early extended thymectomy is an effective therapeutic intervention for TAP.