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Thymectomy in Myasthenia Gravis: Pre- and Postoperative Treatment

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Endocrinology in Anaesthesia and Surgery
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Abstract

Thymectomy in mayasthenia gravis patients is based on clinical experiences first published by Blalock in 1939 [2]. In early years thymectomy was the only manipulation to influence the defect of the immune system. A positive effect of thymectomy on myasthenic symptoms is reported by several authors since that time [1, 3, 8, 9, 14]. Thus, thymectomy became a standard method in myasthenia treatment next to symptomatic choline-esterase-inhibitor medication. The indication for early thymectomy was extended by Genkins et al. in 1975 to cases with isolated ocular myasthenic symptoms [4].

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References

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© 1980 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Janzen, R.W.C., Farthmann, E., Doehn, M., Lachenmayer, L. (1980). Thymectomy in Myasthenia Gravis: Pre- and Postoperative Treatment. In: Stoeckel, H., Oyama, T., Hack, G. (eds) Endocrinology in Anaesthesia and Surgery. Anaesthesiologie und Intensivmedizin / Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, vol 132. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-67745-8_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-67745-8_19

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-10211-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-67745-8

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