A Neurologist ’s Perspective on Thymectomy for Myasthenia Gravis

The first randomized blinded study of thymectomy in nonthymomatous myasthenia gravis was designed to answer 3 questions: does the combination of prednisone and removal of the thymus gland via extended transsternal thymectomy after 3  years compared with an identical dosing protocol of prednisone alone (1) lead to better disease status for generalized MG patients with antiacetylcholine receptor antibodies, (2) reduce their prednisone requirements, and/or (3) reduce the side-effect burden from medications used to treat the disea se? The study demonstrated that thymectomy confers these benefits for patients and sets the stage for inquiries into the benefits of less-invasive approaches to thymic resection.
Source: Thoracic Surgery Clinics - Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Source Type: research