Bilateral video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy has a surgical extent similar to that of transsternal extended thymectomy with more favorable early surgical outcomes for myasthenia gravis patients.

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to introduce the authors' surgical technique of bilateral video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy (BVT) and to compare their early surgical results between BVT and transsternal extended thymectomy (T3-b thymectomy) for patients with myasthenia gravis (MG).

METHODS

The records of 114 patients who underwent either BVT (n = 55) or T3-b thymectomy (n = 59) for MG were reviewed retrospectively between January 2006 and November 2009.

RESULTS

No surgical mortality or major morbidity occurred in either group. There was no conversion to open thymectomy, and no statistical difference was found in operation time between the two groups (112.2 ± 26.2 min for BVT vs. 130.7 ± 27.3 min for T-3b; p = 0.908). The duration of the chest tube, the length of the intensive care unit (ICU) or hospital stay, and the duration of opioid use for pain control were shorter in BVT group. The estimated blood loss and the total amount of drainage were greater in the T3-b thymectomy group. The specimen weights retrieved by BVT (72.5 ± 61.6 g) were similar to those retrieved by T3-b thymectomy (74.1 ± 38.2 g, p = 0.63) in nonthymomatous MG.

CONCLUSIONS

The BVT was a safe procedure with a surgical extent and amount similar to those of T-3b thymectomy and less invasive for patients with MG. Long-term follow-up assessment and more extensive data are mandatory to verify the early surgical outcomes.