Maximal Thymectomy via Mini Sternotomy with Pleural Preservation

Gaurav PatelBackground  There are different surgical techniques used for maximal thymectomy. Each technique has its own advantages and disadvantages. We propose a mini sternotomy with pleural preservation approach for complete maximal thymectomy. Methods  Over time range of 5 years, 32 patients with diagnosis of thymoma with or without myasthenia gravis (MG) underwent maximal thymectomy by mini sternotomy in our institute. Patient records were examined for the following parameters: age, sex, preoperative medication, symptoms of MG as per Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America grading system, operating time, duration of postoperative ventilation, length of stay in the intensive care unit, overall length of hospitalization, and postoperative complications. Results  The mean age of patients in our study was 43.66. Sex ratio in this study was almost equal. Sixty-nine percent of patients were stage I thymoma according to Masaoka staging. Size of the tumor ranged from 3 to 8 cm with mean size being 4.54 cm. Complete resection with negative tumor margins was possible in all the cases. Four patients had intraoperative pleural injury out of which two patients required intercostal tube insertion. We did not have any serious postoperative complications with no perioperative mortality. Conclusions  Mini sternotomy allows maximal removal of thymus through a less invasive approach and is associated with a significantly smoother postoperative course, less overall complications, and good clinical outcome. It is a simple technique that can be performed by any thoracic and surgical oncologists especially in Indian subcontinent where facilities of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and robotic video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery are not available in all areas and are expensive.