An Audit of the Outcomes of Thymic Surgery

• Published in: Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons--Pakistan Vol. 31; no. 5; pp. 602 - 604
• Main Authors: Khadka, Pralaya, Thapa, Bibhusal, Sapkota, Ranjan, Sharma, Aakriti, Sayami, Prakash
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pakistan College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan 01.05.2021
• Subjects: Computer-assisted surgery; Humans; Nepal; Patient outcomes; Retrospective Studies; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; Thoracoscopy; Thymectomy; Thymoma; Thymus Neoplasms - surgery; Treatment Outcome; Nepal
• ISSN: 1022-386X; 1681-7168
• DOI: 10.29271/JCPSP.2021.05.602

Most pathology of the thymus gland warrant its surgical removal; and this requires significant expertise and adequate medical set-up. This study aimed to audit the results of thymectomies performed in a specialised tertiary level centre in a resource-poor country. The outcomes of open and minimally invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) thymectomies were also compared. Out of 58 patients operated at Department of Thoracic Surgery, Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal between October 2012 and January 2019, 33 patients underwent open thymectomy and 25 had VATS thymectomy. We conducted a retrospective search to look at operative time, blood loss and length of postoperative hospitalisation. The open surgery group was followed for an average of 32 months, and the VATS cohort for 38 months. No significant differences were found in mean operative times and overall survival between groups. In selected cases, thymectomy via VATS is safer and comparable to open thymectomy in terms of operative safety and oncological completeness. Key Words: Thymus, VATS, Thymectomy, Outcome.