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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2001;19:570-575
© 2001 Elsevier Science NL
a Cardiac and Thoracic Department, Division of Thoracic Surgery, University of Pisa, Via Paradisa 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
b Department of Neurosciences, Section of Neurology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
c IVth Service of Anaesthesiology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Received 21 November 2000; received in revised form 14 February 2001; accepted 20 February 2001.
Corresponding author. Tel.: +39-050-995230; fax: +39-050-995214
e-mail: a.mussi{at}med.unipi.it
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 myastenic 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.
Key Words: Myasthenia gravis • Osserman classification • Median sternotomy • Thymectomy • Complete remission rate
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