Extended thymectomy in myasthenia gravis: a team-work of neurologist, thoracic surgeon and anaesthesist may improve the outcome.

OBJECTIVE We reviewed our overall experience on 163 patients, affected by myasthenia gravis, who underwent thymectomy between 1976 and 1998. A comparison between the oldest series of 72 patients (January 1976-December 1992), referred by various neurologists and operated on through different approaches, and the last 91 patients (January 1993-December 1998), taking part in a strict diagnostic-therapeutical programme, was made. METHODS Anagraphic data, duration of symptoms, the surgical approach, necessity of respiratory assistance, the hospital stay, histopathological findings, preoperative and postoperative Osserman classification, as well as medications, were globally analyzed and then compared in the two groups. RESULTS Significant differences in the length of hospitalization (8.7 days vs. 4.2 days; P=0.00001) and in the prolonged intubation rate (18 vs. 0; P<0.000001) were observed in the most recent series. Patients in the pre-operative Osserman stage I and operated on in the second period had a higher complete remission rate at the univariate analysis (P<0.001 and P<0.0001, respectively). At the multivariate analysis the only parameter which affected the outcome was to be operated on in the second period (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Our experience confirms the role of the extended thymectomy in the treatment of myasthenia gravis. Whenever an extended thymectomy was performed through a complete sternotomy it was a quick procedure, with short hospitalization and acceptable cosmetic results. A careful pharmacological control of the myasthenic symptoms and the presence of team-work among neurologist, thoracic surgeon and anaesthesist in the peri-operative setting reduce the incidence of complications and might increase the efficacy of the thymectomy.