Abstract
In order to assess the long-term effects of extended thymectomy in myasthenia gravis, 26 patients were evaluated on an annual basis beginning 1 year after surgery. At the time of the final evaluation, remission was observed in five patients (19%), improvement in 13 (50%), no change in five (19%), aggravation in two (8 %) and death in one (4 %). Palliation, including remission and improvement, was observed in 18 (69%). Both the remission and palliation rates increased over the course of time after surgery. There were no significant differences in palliation rates according to Osserman type, sex, age at the time of onset or operation, duration of illness, thymoma, or acetylcholine receptor antibody titers. Extended thymectomy is the treatment of choice for patients with myasthenia gravis without regard to any background factor. Long-term follow-up is necessary since extended thymectomy exhibits a tendency toward delayed remission.
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