1.Correlation between the atypical presentation of myasthenia gravis and radio-pathological classification of the thymus – A retrospective cohort study
Kang-Po Lee ; Chou-Ching K. Lin ; Pei-Fang Su ; Yu-Lin Mau ; Fei-Ci Sie ; Han-Wei Huang
Neurology Asia 2020;25(3):293-298
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a disease of neuromuscular junction and mainly autoimmune in aetiology.
The state of thymus is a critical determinant for the prognosis. In this retrospective review study, we
aimed at clarifying the relationship between the mode of clinical presentation of MG and the radiopathological classification of the thymus. We identified patients with MG from the database of our
medical center from 1988 – 2017. The patients were classified into two groups according to their
clinical presentation: those with a typical presentation with diurnal variation, and those with an atypical
presentation of persistent weakness or respiratory failure from the beginning. The underlying thymic
state was categorized into six groups: normal, abnormal by imaging (if no operation was performed),
hyperplasia, benign thymoma, cortical type thymoma, and malignant thymoma. In total, 227 patients
(133 females and 94 males) were included in the analysis, of whom 68% were classified into the
typical presentation group. The atypical presentation correlated significantly with thymic categories
(p = 0.014) and sex (p = 0.026) but not age at onset (p = 0.232). The atypical presentation was more
common in the male patients and in those with thymic carcinoma.
2.Morphology of Mandibular Condyle in The Population of Sarawak: A Retrospective Cross-sectional Study Using Digital Panoramic Radiograph
Tan Yy Jean ; Lim Woei Tatt ; Lee Sie Wei ; Shim Chen Kiong ; Mohamad Adam Bujang
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2023;19(No.4):258-264
Introduction: The morphology of the condyles changes naturally with age, gender, face type, occlusal force, functional load, malocclusion type, and the right and left sides. Although condylar shape and size differ throughout
populations, there have been few investigations on condylar morphology, particularly in the Malaysian population.
Methods: This retrospective, observational, cross-sectional survey was conducted at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic of Sarawak General Hospital from September 2021 to March 2022, involving radiographic assessment
of condylar morphology from 893 panoramic radiographs. Age, gender, ethnicity and dentition status using Eichner
index were extracted from the data. Descriptive statistics were used. Pearson’s chi-square test was used to determine
the association between the independent variables (age, gender, ethnicity and dentition status) and the shape of the
mandibular condyle. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Only 450 panoramic radiographs were included in this study. The condyles were outlined and grouped into four categories, namely pointed
(40.2%), round (32.8), angled (18.8), and flat (8.2%). Condylar morphology was found to be significantly associated
with gender (p<0.005) and insignificant with other independent variables. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the
most prevalent condylar morphology among the Sarawak population is the pointed shape, in contrast with other
previous studies that reported the round shape condylar morphology as the majority shape.