Surgical treatment of ocular myasthenia gravis: a clinical analysis of 129 cases / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective Summing up and analyzing outcome and influencing factors following thymectomy in patients with ocular myasthenia gravis tries to provide clinical evidence for an option of the treatment modalities.Methods From May 2007 to November 2014,thymectomy was performed in 129 patients with ocular myasthenia gravis consisting of 110 patients by Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery(VATS) and 19 by partial sternotomy.Follow-up information was obtained by outpatient visit and telephone contact.The outcome evaluation after thymectomy was classified into full remission,partial remission,unchanged and deteriorated.Statistical analysis was done using x2 test and Cox regression model.Results There was no perioperative death.Seven(5.4％) postoperative complications occurred and cured after treatment.Follow-up was complete in 123 patients(95.3％) and the mean duration of follow-up was 49(range 21-99) months.Surgical outcome revealed full remission in 40 patients,partial remission in 68,unchanged in 9 and deteriorated in 6 patients.Response(full remission and partial remission) rate was 87.8％ and no benefit(unchanged and deteriorated) rate was 12.2％.Four of 6 patients in deteriorated condition progressed into generalized myasthenia gravis(3.3％).The significant difference was noted in 24 months or less of preoperative clinical duration (P =0.004) and thymic hyperplasia (P =0.001) in postoperative pathology among the full remission,partial remission and no benefit group.On the other hand,there was no statistical difference in sex,age,symptoms,comorbidities,preoperative taking acetylcholinase inhibitor,corticosteroid,surgical approach,and associated thymona among the three groups.Multivariate Cox regression analysis also demonstrated that a preoperative duration of symptoms 24 months or less and postoperative histology being thymic hyperplasia favourably influenced the outcome.Conclusion The role of thymectomy in patients with ocular myasthenia gravis can relieve symptoms effectively and avert or decrease the potential development of generalized symptoms.Thymectomy,which has a low postoperative mortality and morbidity,may be a first-line option of the therapeutic armamentarium to treat ocular myasthenia gravis.Thymectomy via VATS has clinical advantages of minimal trauma,less pain,fast recovery,and the comparable clinical results over via the traditional sternotomy.Therefore,this procedure deserves to be advocated for ocular myasthenia gravis.