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Thymectomy for myasthenia gravis: a fourteen-year experience

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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.

Sommario

Nel corso degli ultimi 14 anni abbiamo sottoposto a timectomia 106 miastenici, 62 di questi per via transcervicale e 44 per via transsternale. Abbiamo ottenuto un miglioramento complessivo in 49 pazienti (46.2%); 12 di questi (11.2%) sono risultati in remissione completa. In nessuna delle sottopopolazioni di miastenici, da noi esaminate, è stato possibile evidenziare una precisa indicazione prognostica per la timectomia. Sembra di poter concludere che la timectomia, nei 2 approcci da noi utilizzati, non modifichi il decorso naturale della miastenia gravis.

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Sghirlanzoni, A., Mantegazza, R., Peluchetti, D. et al. Thymectomy for myasthenia gravis: a fourteen-year experience. Ital J Neuro Sci 6, 425–428 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02331034

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