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The study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of patients with juvenile myasthenia gravis (MG) who underwent robotic thymectomy with that of those who only received medication therapy. We retrospectively reviewed patients who visited our institution for the diagnosis or treatment of MG with an age at onset younger than 18 years. Patients who underwent thymectomy comprised the surgical group and those who received only medication therapy comprised the nonsurgical group. The clinical outcomes were assessed according to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America Post-Intervention Status. Forty-seven patients (35 female, 12 male) were included as the surgical group and 20 patients (15 female, 5 male) comprised the nonsurgical group. Significant differences were observed between the surgical and nonsurgical groups in antibody against acetylcholinesterase receptor (91.5% vs 65%; P =.012), disease duration (median 16 [interquartile range, 7-25] months vs 96 [interquartile range, 42-480] months; P <.001), and corticosteroids requirement (53.2% vs 15%; P =.004) at baseline. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a higher cumulative probability of complete stable remission in the surgical group (P =.002) compared with the nonsurgical group. Moreover, thymectomy (hazard ratio, 3.842; 95% confidence interval, 1.116-13.230; P =.033) and age at onset (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.80-0.99; P =.037) were still associated with the achievement of complete stable remission in the multivariable analysis. Furthermore, a significant steroid-sparing effect was observed in the surgical group but not in the nonsurgical group. Robotic thymectomy seems to be more effective than medication therapy on juvenile MG in terms of inducing remission and reducing the use of corticosteroids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data are limited on the safety and efficacy of robotic thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) older than 60 years at onset. Patients older than 60 years at MG onset who underwent robotic thymectomy in Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin between 2003 and 2017 were potentially eligible for inclusion. The main outcomes were perioperative complications and clinical outcome according to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America Post-Intervention Status. Sixty-eight (25 women, 43 men) of 580 patients with MG who underwent robotic thymectomy were eligible for perioperative analyses (median age at MG onset 67 years, range: 61 to 85 years). The perioperative morbidity rate was 13.2%, and the only perioperative death was due to aortic dissection. Fifty-one patients were available for further analysis with a median follow-up time of 60 months (range: 12 to 263 months). The complete stable remission rate was 7.8%, the improvement rate was 68.6%, and the overall mortality rate was 11.8%. Compared with preoperative use, the mean daily dose of corticosteroid agents was significantly reduced at the last follow-up (17.6 ± 23.6 mg versus 2.6 ± 6.1 mg, p = 0.0001) without increased use of azathioprine (35.9 ± 61.9 mg versus 42.7 ± 59 mg, p = 0.427). After excluding 2 patients seronegative for the anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody, 10 of 49 seropositive patients achieved "good outcome" (including four complete stable remissions, three pharmacologic remissions, and three minimal manifestations 0) which was predicted by being free of concomitant disease (odds ratio 7.307, 95% confidence interval: 1.188 to 44.937, p = 0.032) and Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America classification I before thymectomy (odds ratio 6.696, 95% confidence interval: 1.259 to 35.620, p = 0.026). Robotic thymectomy seems to be safe and effective in patients with MG older than 60 years at onset with a statistically significant steroid-sparing effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]