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Ann Thorac Surg 2007;84:360-361
© 2007 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Correspondence

Evaluation of Results of Thymectomy for MG Requires Accepted Standards

Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Columbia University, New York–Presbyterian Hospital, 177 Fort Washington Ave, New York, NY 10032

(Email: alfred.jaretzki@snet.net).

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

To the Editor:

We read with anticipation the comprehensive retrospective review [1] in which the long-term remission rates of this potentially important minimally invasive operation [2] have been meticulously collected using Kaplan-Meier analysis [3]. The authors’ have concluded that their results are comparable with those following transsternal procedures, that patients with less severe disease have higher complete remission (CR) rates, and that complete responses are durable.

Unfortunately the authors have not used what are now considered accepted standards of evaluation [4, 5], and most importantly they have developed a set of definitions of remission (CR) that raise questions concerning the authors’ conclusion that "the 5-year Kaplan-Meier CR rate is comparable with that obtained after transsternal procedures."

The authors’ definition of CR consists of two subgroups: "asymptomatic off all medications" and "asymptomatic on low-dose prednisone or azathioprine." These definitions contradict the "Recommendations for Clinical Research Standards" of the Medical/Scientific Advisory Board of . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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				M. Lucchi, R. Ricciardi, F. Melfi, L. Duranti, F. Basolo, G. Palmiero, L. Murri, and A. Mussi Association of thymoma and myasthenia gravis: oncological and neurological results of the surgical treatment Eur J Cardiothorac Surg, May 1, 2009; 35(5): 812 - 816. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. B. Shrager and L. R. Kaiser Reply. Ann. Thorac. Surg., July 1, 2007; 84(1): 361 - 361. [Full Text] [PDF]