title: Predictors of clinical outcome following extended thymectomy in myasthenia gravis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Thymectomy remains as the optimal treatment of choice in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), however, the selection criteria for surgery remains controversial.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the data charts of patients with MG underwent extended thymectomy. We investigated the possible correlations between the clinicopathologic features and clinical outcomes, and analyzed the data to clarify the effect of prognostic factors on clinical outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 61 patients with a mean age of 35.8 +/- 12.2 years (range, 13-66 years) were analyzed. The overall improvement/remission and clinical worsening rates were 81.9 and 18.1%, respectively. Ossermann stage (P = 0.011) and presence of mediastinal ectopic thymic tissue (P = 0.007) showed a significant correlation with the clinical outcome. Multivariate analysis confirmed Ossermann stage (P = 0.0158), and presence of mediastinal ectopic thymic tissue (P = 0.0100) as independent predictors on clinical outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ossermann stage and the presence of mediastinal ectopic thymic tissue are potential predictors on clinical outcome in patients with MG undergoing extended thymectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ibn-i Sina Hospital, 06100, Sihhiye, Ankara, Turkey. ozdemir@medicine.ankara.edu.tr
authors.forename: Nezih
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kara
authors.forename: Erkan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dikmen
authors.forename: Aydin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nadir
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akal
authors.forename: Nezih
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yücemen
authors.forename: Sinasi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yavuzer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002828:Choristoma; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013934:Thymectomy; D013950:Thymus Gland; D016896:Treatment Outcome