[Thymectomy of adult mice and hamsters]

The author describes a method for thymectomy of adult mice and hamsters, in which he uses a new operative approach at the initial stage of the operation. The common longitudinal median skin section is replaced with semioval section of the skin which begins from the surface transversly to the median line over xiphoid process of the chest bone, passes parallely and lateralily to both sides of the chest bone in the direction to the neck and ends at the level of the clavicle. Semioval cut skin, returned to its place after comrlition of the thymectomy, forms a peculiar subcutaneous pocket in the cavity of which the mediastimum and the risk of pneumothorax, while the usage of skin sutures is replaced completely by the tissue glue.