Factors predicting perioperative outcomes in patients with myasthenia gravis or thymic neoplasms undergoing thymectomy by video-assisted thoracoscopic approach.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors which predict the perioperative outcomes after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) or thymic neoplasms.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data of consecutive patients who had undergone VATS thymectomy in our institution from August 2016 to April 2018 were collected retrospectively from a prospectively maintained database followed by prospective recruitment of patients who underwent VATS thymectomy from April 2018 to February 2020.

RESULTS

A total of 31 patients were included. Females were more common (51.6%), and 29 patients (93.5%) had MG. The most common indication for thymectomy was the presence of both MG and thymoma (51.6%). Most MG patients had moderate disease (55.2%) or severe (24.1%) disease preoperatively. Mean operative time and blood loss were 196.9 ± 63.5 min and 122.5 ± 115.3 ml, respectively. Mean hospital stay was 7.9 ± 6.7 days. The rate of major and minor complications was 16.18% and 35.4%, respectively. Multivariate linear regression analysis established that MG symptoms >12 months, prolonged invasive ventilation (intubation ≥24 h), and complications were associated significantly with a prolonged hospital stay. Adjusting for outliers, pre-operative disease severity (MG Foundation of America class), and intubation ≥24 h were the only factors that had a significant impact on perioperative outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Pre-operative disease severity and post-operative invasive ventilation are strong determinants of perioperative outcomes. Pre-operative optimisation and early extubation protocols can further reduce morbidity in patients undergoing thymectomy by the VATS approach.