Cervical thymectomy in the treatment of myasthenia gravis.

A retrospective review of 22 patients undergoing cervical thymectomy for myasthenia gravis is presented. Their ages ranged from 19 to 67 years. The male and female ratio as well as the severity of illness prior to operation were similar to other reported series. All patients were evaluated from the standpoint of clinical response to thymectomy, and the number and dosage of anti-myasthenic drugs required after operation. There was a statistically significant improvement in clinical status in the immediate postoperative period (P less than 0.05) and a further significant improvement was noted at six months (P less than 0.05). In addition, significant reductions in postoperative drug therapy were noted (P less than 0.05). Complications from cervical thymectomy were minimal and mortality was zero. An attempt was made to correlate histological findings with clinical results. Comparison is made to other series in the literature and the advantages of the cervical technique as the initial surgical approach are described. The data presented support a useful role for cervical thymectomy in the treatment of myasthenia gravis.