Surgical Techniques for Myasthenia Gravis: Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery

Complete removal of thymus, perithymic tissue, and mediastinal fat is considered an effective treatment for improving the course of the myasthenia gravis. Thymectomy can be safely carried out by video-assisted thoracic surgery approach through 3 accesses as well as a unique surgical port. The procedures can be accomplished either bilaterally or unilaterally according to the surgeon’s preference through the left or the right hemithorax. Whatever the video-assisted thoracic surgery approach results are equivalent in terms of operative trauma, perioperative and postoperative morbidity, hospital stay, patient’s satisfaction, quality of life, and neurologic outcome as well.