[Evaluation of results following thymectomy in myasthenia gravis].

Sixty-nine patients with generalized myasthenia gravis underwent thymectomy consecutively between 1980 and 1991 and were evaluated 1 month to 120 months after operation. Extended thymectomy was performed in 43 patients and other procedures in 26. The effect of thymectomy were as follows: 14.5% of the patients achieved complete remission (no symptoms, no medication), 73.9% showed improvement; in total 88.4% had palliation. The long-term changes of the remission rate at one and five years after operation were 11.5% and 19.2%, and showed a delayed remission. The long-term changes of the improvement and palliation rate were 55.7% and 67.2% at one year, 69.2% and 88.5% at five years after operation. There was significant difference in remission rate according to age at the time of operation and age of onset, but the response did not depend on sex, presence or absence of thymoma, preoperative duration of illness, Osserman's type and operative procedure.