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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2003;23:233-237
© 2003 Elsevier Science NL

Predictors of clinical outcome following extended thymectomy in myasthenia gravis

Nezih Özdemir^a*, Murat Kara^b, Erkan Dikmen^b, Aydn Nadir^a, Murat Akal^a, Nezih Yücemen^c, inasi Yavuzer^a

^a Department of Thoracic Surgery, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, bn-i Sina Hospital, 06100, Shhiye, Ankara, Turkey
^b Department of Thoracic Surgery, University of Krkkale, School of Medicine, 71100, Krkkale, Turkey
^c Department of Neurology, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, bn-i Sina Hospital, 06100, Shhiye, Ankara, Turkey

Received 19 July 2002; received in revised form 23 October 2002; accepted 4 November 2002.

* Corresponding author. Kuleli Sokak 37/2, Gaziosmanpaa, TR-06700, Ankara, Turkey. Tel.: +90-312-310-3333; fax: +90-312-310-6371
e-mail: ozdemir{at}medicine.ankara.edu.tr

Objective: Thymectomy remains as the optimal treatment of choice in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), however, the selection criteria for surgery remains controversial. Methods: We examined the data charts of patients with MG underwent extended thymectomy. We investigated the possible correlations between the clinicopathologic features and clinical outcomes, and analyzed the data to clarify the effect of prognostic factors on clinical outcome. Results: A total of 61 patients with a mean age of 35.8±12.2 years (range, 13–66 years) were analyzed. The overall improvement/remission and clinical worsening rates were 81.9 and 18.1%, respectively. Ossermann stage (P=0.011) and presence of mediastinal ectopic thymic tissue (P=0.007) showed a significant correlation with the clinical outcome. Multivariate analysis confirmed Ossermann stage (P=0.0158), and presence of mediastinal ectopic thymic tissue (P=0.0100) as independent predictors on clinical outcome. Conclusion: Ossermann stage and the presence of mediastinal ectopic thymic tissue are potential predictors on clinical outcome in patients with MG undergoing extended thymectomy.

Key Words: Myasthenia gravis • Thymectomy • Clinical outcome

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