Sternotomy for management of myasthenia gravis: is the time to retire?

Surgical resection is the main treatment for myasthenia gravis (MG) associated with thymic hyperplasia or thymoma. The first thymectomy was performed in 1939 using full median sternotomy, but the morbidity and mortality related to sternotomy let surgeons to explore in selected cases less invasive approaches including transcervical or partial sternotomy (1-4).