[Robot-assisted Extended Thymectomy via a Bilateral Approach for Patients with Myasthenia Gravis].

Journal: Kyobu geka. The Japanese journal of thoracic surgery
PMID:

Abstract

Extended thymectomy is a procedure to remove the thymus gland and surrounding adipose tissue, while the traditional approach via a median sternotomy, minimally invasive approaches such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) have been adopted. This report described the technique of bilateral approach for extended thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) by robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, and also showed the perioperative outcomes and postoperative exacerbation rates of 11 patients. In most patients, score of MG symptom were reduced and levels of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies declined postoperatively. In a small number of cases, the safety and efficacy of a RATS bilateral approach for extended thymectomy were confirmed.

Authors

  • Shota Nakamura
    Department of Thoracic Surgery, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
  • Keita Nakanishi
    Department of Thoracic Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
  • Yuka Kadomatsu
  • Harushi Ueno
    Department of Thoracic Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
  • Taketo Kato
  • Toyofumi F Chen-Yoshikawa
    Department of Thoracic Surgery, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.