Thymectomy for myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis is a relatively uncommon antoimmune disorder of neuromuscular transmission. Surgical therapy plays an important role in addition to medical treatment. Follow-up results of 52 patients with thymectomy are presented. Between 1984-1996 thymectomy via median sternotomy was performed in 52 patients with myasthenia gravis (female = 28, male = 24). The score described by Ossermann and Genkins was used for classification. According to this classification, we found 12 patients in class III, 21 in class IIA, 17 in class IIB and 2 in class III, respectively. A thymoma was found in 19, follicular lymphoid hyperplasia in 24 and an atrophic thymus in 9 cases, respectively. There was no mortality. Severe postoperative complications consisted of bleeding and reoperation in one patient and another patient developed a sternal instability with consecutive operative refixation. Follow-up evaluation after a mean period of 36 months (min. 6 months, max. 130 months) revealed a relief of myasthenic symptoms in 37 patients. Thymectomy is effective in the treatment of myasthenia gravis with a low complication rate.