2021 Volume 35 Issue 6 Pages 644-650
Background: This study aimed to compare the surgical results of thymomectomy with those of thymothymectomy in nonmyasthenic patients with Masaoka stage I and II thymomas.
Methods: We investigated 65 patients who had no clinical evidence of myasthenia gravis and underwent thoracoscopic resection for stage I and II thymomas between 2005 and 2018.
Results: The operative time was shorter in the thymomectomy group than in the thymectomy group. The amount of bleeding, length of postoperative hospital stay, and morbidity rates were equivalent between the two groups. There was neither recurrence of thymoma nor postoperative development of myasthenia gravis in either group over the median follow-up of 4 years. The distance between the tumor and left brachiocephalic vein was significantly longer in the thymomectomy group.
Conclusions: The result of thoracoscopic thymomectomy was equivalent to that of thymectomy for stage I and II thymomas. Thoracoscopic thymomectomy may be a choice of treatment when the distance of the tumor to left brachiocephalic vein is more than 20 mm.
