title: [The cervical approach in surgery of the thymus for myasthenia. Comparison with the trans-sternal route. Considerations on 75 operated patients].
abstract: The role played by the surgical route on the immediate post-operative course has been studied on the basis of personal experience of thymectomy for myasthenia gravis (75 operated cases). Time of respiratory assistance, pleuropulmonary complications, operative mortality and recourse to trachetomy were evaluted in two homogenous groups of patients thymectomized cervically (group I: 36 cases) or trans-sternally (group II: 39 cases). It is was found that the average duration of respiratory assistance was significatly less in the first than in the second group (it was often not necessary at all), pleuropulmonary complications were halved, tracheotomy was never indicated and operative mortality was nil. The cervical approach thus offers enormous functional advantages and devers a leading place in surgery of the thymus; it would appear to be contraindicated only in the presence of radiologically evident thymomas and at times in cases where tracheotomy has been performed previously.
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000601:surgery*; D009333:Neck; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D013249:Sternum; D013934:Thymectomy / Q000379:methods; D013945:Thymoma / Q000601:surgery*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*
vernacular_title: La via cervicale nella chirurgia del timo per miastenia. Aspetti comparativi con la via trans-sternale. Considerazioni su 75 pazieti operati