Good news…we were able to record a webinar for one of our virtual monthly meetups! Since the pandemic, we transferred much of our programming to a virtual platform. Zoom has been a great way for us to reach patients, however, we noticed that some were unable to attend due to time conflicts. Thankfully, we implemented a webinar feature that allows us to record our sessions on important topics around myasthenia gravis which in turn gives the MG community a chance to watch the videos on their own terms.
This past Monday we were honored to have Dr. Emmanuel Daon conduct a presentation on thymectomies. Dr. Daon is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon and a dedicated member of our medical advisory committee. His passion for helping MG patients was evident; his thorough discussion about thymectomies prompted many great questions by our community members. Below is a quick recap of the thymectomy presentation.
I learned something new at the very beginning of the presentation! Did you know that a physician named Alfred Blalock was the first surgeon to perform a successful thymus removal in a myasthenia gravis patient? As a result (to which we still recognize), the patient had remarkable improvement in myasthenic symptoms. A few years later, Blalock applied his findings to a patient without a thymoma (without a tumor), and sure enough, the patient’s myasthenic symptoms improved as well. Today, we still practice the surgical removal of the thymus, with or without thymoma. Because of Blalock’s work, thymectomy is a standard procedure that we use to minimize myasthenic symptoms.
There are various mechanisms to remove the thymus:
· Transsternal (through the sternum)
· Cervical (through the neck)
· Video-assisted thoracoscopy (minimally invasive with a video scope)
· Robotic (daVinci Robotic System)
In 2006, I was 14 years old when I had my thymus removed. The method that was chosen for me was the minimally invasive transcervical thymectomy. The scar where the incision is made is about 1 ½ inch right at the bottom of my neck. At the time, there was discussion of doing a transsternal thymectomy, but thankfully my physician advocated for this particular method. I’m left with a very minimal, faded scar and the recovery was much shorter compared to what it could have been.
The MGA gets lots of questions from patients who are considering a thymectomy. The first thing we recommend is discussing your concerns or questions with your doctor. Chances are, you have probably already done that. That being said, there is never harm in getting multiple opinions. Myasthenia gravis is incredibly individual-specific, meaning; everyone experiences this disease differently. It’s important to consider factors that could impact your surgery with your doctor: support system, job and financial obligations, recovery time, age, health status, etc. All of these elements can play a role in your decision and it is okay to take time to reflect on them.
If you didn’t get a chance to sit in on Dr. Daon’s comprehensive presentation on thymectomies, you can find the webinar on our Youtube page here. Thank you, Dr. Daon for educating us about thymectomies!
The following blog post was written by Meridith O'Connor, St. Louis Program Coordinator for the Myasthenia Gravis Association.
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