Ten patients with Myasthenia Gravis are reported in our University Centre between May 1997 and August 2000, whose thymuses were resected through videothoracoscopic technique, VATS.
Seven of them were women and three were men, with an average age of 33 years, ranging from 17 to 52 years.
Illness average evolution period was approximately 15 months, ranging from 2 to 26 months.
Surgical technique included right side procedure with 9 patients and bilateral procedure with one of them.
Surgery lasted on average approximately 3 hours, ranging from 1 to 4 hours. There was no surgical mortality, no complications during nor after the procedures and none of the cases required mechanical ventilation.
Postsurgery required an average of 2 days, ranging from 1 to 5 days.
Two cases of this group had satisfactory clinical recovery and with 4 of them only partial recovery was obtained.
Postsurgery control period has not been long enough, suggesting that a longer period should offer better results.
Relating surgery resttlts with illness evolution time makes advisable an early surgical indication.
In accordance with worldwide reports we conclude that Thymectomy by VATS is an appropriated treatment for Myasthenia Gravis.
Cardemil, G. ., Fernández, E. ., Zink, M. ., Zepeda, G. ., Vargas, F. ., & Escobar, C. . (2001). Timectomía por cirugía torácica videoasistida (vats) en miastenia gravis. Revista Hospital Clínico Universidad De Chile, 12(3), pp. 209–16. https://doi.org/10.5354/2735-7996.2001.79783
