Surgical Approaches to Myasthenia Gravis: Perspective of Anatomy and Radicality in Surgery.

Abstract

The effectiveness of thymectomy for nonthymomatous myasthenia gravis is analyzed with regard to extensiveness of removal of the adipose tissue of the mediastinum and the lower neck region with various techniques of thymectomy. The approach necessary to achieve maximal radicality must include access to both pleural cavity and the lower neck area up to the thyroid gland. Surgical techniques include extended transsternal approach, which might be combined with separate transcervical incision, bilateral videothoracoscopic (VATS) approach combined with transcervical incision, and extended subxiphoid approach, either uniportal or combined with bilateral VATS. Anatomic aspects of maximally extensive thymectomy are described in detail.