Thymectomy

[1] There are a number of surgical approaches to the removal of the thymus gland: transternal (through the breast bone), transcervical (through a small neck incision), and transthoracic (through one or both sides of the chest).

[3] Video-assisted approaches, such as thoracoscopic surgery, are increasingly prescribed since the less invasive nature of the procedure strikes a balance with the lack of actual clinical evidence supporting thymectomy in non-thymomal cases.

[5] For about 60% of people with myasthenia gravis, thymectomy significantly improves their symptoms of muscle weakness.

In about 30% of cases, thymectomy results in permanent remission of myasthenia gravis, negating the need for any additional medication.

[6] Experiments involving thymectomy in newborn mice showed that it unexpectedly resulted in wasting disease when performed before the mouse was three days old.