Thymectomy for myasthenia gravis: a fourteen-year experience

Ital J Neurol Sci. 1985 Dec;6(4):425-8. doi: 10.1007/BF02331034.

Abstract

Over the last 14 years we have thymectomized 106 myasthenic patients, 62 by transcervical and 44 by transsternal approach. At the end of the follow-up 49 patients (46.2%) had improved, 12 of these (11.2%) being in remission. Our data supply no guidance regarding the prognosis of individual patients at the time of thymectomy. In our hands neither operation seemed to modify the natural course of myasthenia gravis.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myasthenia Gravis / complications
  • Myasthenia Gravis / therapy*
  • Thymectomy*
  • Thymoma / complications
  • Thymus Neoplasms / complications