ObjectiveTo investigate the safety, feasibility and advantages of subxiphoid uni-portal thoracoscopic thymectomy.MethodsClinical data of 65 patients undergoing subxiphoid uni-portal thoracoscopic thymectomy in our hospital from September 2018 to March 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. They were treated as a subxiphoid surgery group, including 36 males and 29 females, aged 49.5 (29-71) years. The incision with the length of about 3 cm was located approximately 1 cm under the xiphoid process. From January 2016 to December 2017, 65 patients received intercostal uni-portal thoracoscopic thymectomy, who were treated as a control group, including 38 males and 27 females, aged 48.9 (33-67) years. All patients who were clinically diagnosed with thymic tumor before surgery were treated with total thymectomy. After surgery, expectoration and analgesia were used.ResultsThere was no statistically significant difference in general clinical data, lesion size, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative catheterization time, postoperative hospital stay and postoperative pathology between the two groups. All operations were successfully completed, and the patients in both groups recovered uneventfully after surgery. Visual analogue scale scores on the 1st, 3rd, 7th and 30th day after surgery in the subxiphoid surgery group were lower than those in the control group.ConclusionThe subxiphoid uni-portal thoracoscopic approach can achieve total thymectomy with less trauma and faster postoperative recovery.
Objective To observe the clinical manifestations and treatment of ocular myasthenia gravis. Methods The clinical manifestations, results of laboratory examination and thymic CT, and therapeutic data of 84 patients with ocular myasthenia gravis, hospitalized from July, 1998 to July, 2005, were retrospective ly analyzed. Results These patients were 2.5 to 70 years old. All of the patients had ptosis, includine 35.77% with diplopia 25% with strabismus; 1 with obnormal sphincter muscle and 1 with blurry vision.The positive rate of examination of AchR antibody was 27.6%, and abnormal rate of examination of thymic CT was 64.3%. The cure rate was 48.1% in oral administration with tabellae in whomdostigmini group, 66.7% in methylprednisolonum hormone therapy group, and 51.9%in thymectomy group. Conclusions Ocular myasthenia gravis is mostly involved levator palpebrae superiors and sometimes also involved other ocular muscles. Anticholinesterase medication, methylprednisolonum hormone therapy or thymec tomy are effective. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2006,22:379-381)
Surgery is an important treatment for the anterior mediastinal disease. With the rapid development of minimally invasive techniques, complete resection of the lesion in most patients with thymic disease can be achieved through thoracoscopic surgery. Practice has proved that the three-port resection of anterior mediastinal thymus disease via the subxiphoid approach is an ideal surgical method for the treatment of anterior mediastinal thymic tumors at present, which has strong popularization and popularity and can benefit the patients. The procedure focuses primarily on the anterior and upper mediastinum and can thoroughly expose the anatomy of the mediastinum and both sides, with minimal intraoperative bleeding, high safety, minimal trauma and postoperative pain, and a short hospital stay. It has clear advantages over conventional thoracic open-heart surgery and transversal resection. However, the surgical approach and field of view, and intraoperative precautions of this procedure are completely different from those of previous thoracoscopic procedures, and from the subxiphoid single-port approach adopted by other centers. Based on 10 years of surgical experience at our center, a modular mode of surgical operation has been developed and its procedure has been standardized. This paper will share and discuss relevant operational points and experiences.
ObjectiveTo investigate the perioperative safety of patients with myasthenia gravis who take high doses of oral corticosteroids. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients with myasthenia gravis who received oral corticosteroids and underwent thoracoscopic thymectomy at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital from April 2013 to October 2019. Patients were divided into a high-dose steroid group and a medium-to-low dose steroid group based on the dosage of oral steroids, and the clinical data of the two groups were compared. ResultsA total of 102 patients were included, including 19 (18.62%) males and 83 (81.37%) females, with an average age of (32.25±9.83) years. All patients in both groups successfully completed the surgery without major intraoperative bleeding, conversion to open chest surgery, delayed extubation, severe infection, or perioperative death. The daily oral steroid dose for the high-dose steroid group was (35.81±4.29) mg, and for the medium-to-low dose steroid group it was (15.29±2.17) mg. There was no statistical difference in the operation time [(124.69±23.51) min vs. (117.89±21.46) min, P=0.172] and intraoperative blood loss [(21.19±3.48) mL vs. (20.56±3.41) mL, P=0.419] between the two groups. Postoperatively, 12 (11.76%) patients developed complications: one patient of myasthenic crisis (medium-to-low dose steroid group), which was improved after short-term respiratory support and intravenous immunoglobulin treatment; 11 patients of respiratory/swallowing difficulties (9 in the low-dose steroid group and 2 in the high-dose steroid group), which were improved after anticholinergic treatment to reduce oral secretions and sputum suction, and the patients were discharged smoothly. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups (P=0.637). ConclusionOn the basis of good perioperative management, it is safe and feasible for patients with myasthenia gravis who take high dose of oral steroids to undergo thymectomy, and they have the same perioperative safety as patients with medium-to-low dose steroids.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in patients with myasthenic crisis after thymectomy. Methods31 myasthenic crisis patients after thymectomy who initially used NIV,admitted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University between January 2011 and June 2013,were analyzed retrospectively.They were assigned to two groups according to the successful application of NIV or not,with 13 patients in the NIV success group and 18 patients in the NIV failure group.The related factors including gender,age,APACHEⅡ score when admitted to ICU,the results of blood gas analysis before NIV,thymoma or not,the history of myasthenic crisis,the history of chronic lung disease,and minute ventilation accounted for the largest percentage of predicted value (MVV%pred)were analyzed. ResultsThere were no significant differences in age,gender,or APACHEⅡ score between two groups (P>0.05).The PaCO2 in the NIV success group was lower than that in the NIV failure group.The preoperative MVV%pred in the NIV success group was higher than that in the NIV failure group.There were no significant differences between two groups in pH,PO2,thymoma or not,the history of myasthenic crisis,or the history of chronic lung disease (P>0.05).If using the 45 mm Hg as the cut-off value of PaCO2 and 60% as the cut-off value of MVV%pred,the incidence of PaCO2<45 mm Hg and the incidence of MVV%pred>60% were higher in the NIV success group than those in the NIV failure group (84.6% vs.33.3%, P<0.05;100% vs. 55.6%,P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis revealed that PaCO2<45 mm Hg was an independent influence factor for successful application of NIV in patients with myasthenic crisis after thymectomy. ConclusionPaCO2<45 mm Hg can be a predictor of successful application of NIV in patients with myasthenic crisis after thymectomy.For the patients underwent NIV whose PaCO2<45 mm Hg or MVV%pred<60%,the clinician should predict the possibility of failure and prepared for intubation.
Thymectomy is the main treatment for thymoma and other thymic diseases. But the incidence of non-therapeutic thymectomy is high due to the difficulty in the differential diagnosis of anterior mediastinum lesions. Formerly, it was believed that the thymus gradually degraded and lost function with aging, and the preservation of the thymus was not valued. Recent studies have found that the removal of the thymus at all ages has adverse effects on overall health and leads to a significant increase in the risk of autoimmune diseases, malignancy, and all-cause mortality. Therefore, unnecessary thymectomy should be avoided. This article reviews the influence of thymectomy, including the changes of immunological indexes and clinical prognosis, and further discusses the current situation and avoidance methods of non-therapeutic thymectomy.
Objective To investigate application values and techniques of robot-assisted extended thymectomy for the treatment of typeⅠmyasthenia gravis （MG） using Da Vinci S system. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 3 patients with MG who underwent robot-assisted extended thymectomy in General Hospital of Shenyang Military Command from March 2012 to September 2012. All the patients were ocular MG （typeⅠ） including 2 men （33 years and 66 years old respectively） and 1 woman （21 years old）. Surgical outcomes were analyzed. Results All the 3 patients successfully received robot-assisted extended thymectomy without accessorial incisions. None of the patients required converting to open sternotomy or postoperative reexploration for bleeding. Intraoperative blood loss was 5-10 ml．Overall operation time was95-138 minutes, and thymoma dissection time was 26-80 minutes. No myasthenic crisis or other major postoperative complic-ation occurred. Postoperative chest drainage duration was 3-9 days and postoperative hospital stay was 10-15 days. Two patientswere followed up for 6-12 months after discharge without MG recurrence. Conclusion Robot-assisted extended thymectomy is safe and feasible for the treatment of typeⅠMG with satisfactory results．