Thymectomy by partial sternotomy for the treatment of myasthenia gravis

Background. Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease characterized by weakness and fatigue of voluntary muscles. Surgical treatment of choice for myasthenia gravis has been thymectomy. However, thymectomy indications and surgical approach are still controversial. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of partial median sternotomy approach to the thymus. Methods. From 1973 to 1999, 478 patients with myasthenia gravis underwent thymectomy through a partial median sternotomy. Results. Sixty-one patients (12.7%) had complete remission of symptoms, 299 (62.5%) had a significant improvement, and 83 (17.4%), a mild improvement; whereas 35 patients (7.4%) had no improvement of clinical symptoms. Conclusions. Partial median sternotomy has shown to be a useful surgical approach to the thymus, as demonstrated by the good functional and aesthetic results, associated with low morbidity and no mortality.