Myasthenia Gravis

Minimally Invasive Thymectomy

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In a traditional thymectomy, the surgeon splits the entire sternum (central breast bone) to open the chest and remove the thymus gland. Results are excellent, but prolonged recovery and months of pain following the procedure are not uncommon. For more than six years, Mayo Clinic surgeons in Rochester have been performing a minimally invasive version of this operation (a minimally invasive transcervical thymectomy). Mayo Clinic is one the few centers in North America whose surgeons have been trained in this procedure.

This innovative procedure drastically reduces pain and recovery time for the patient; 95 percent of patients are in the hospital for less than 24 hours following the procedure, and are able to resume normal activity only a few days later. Mayo Clinic surgeons report equally good results from the minimally invasive procedure as from a traditional thymectomy.

Surgeons make a small incision in the neck, and then insert a videoscope and retractor through which tiny instruments are inserted. The videoscope transmits the image inside the chest onto a monitor. With that visual aid, the surgeon can remove the entire thymus gland through one small incision without cutting through the breastbone.