The site of the Media Sphera Publishers contains materials intended solely for healthcare professionals.
By closing this message, you confirm that you are a certified medical professional or a student of a medical educational institution.

Topolnitskiy E.B.

Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russia;
Tomsk Regional Clinical Hospital, Tomsk, Russia;
Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia

Gusakov V.V.

Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russia;
Tomsk Regional Clinical Hospital, Tomsk, Russia

MIASTOP: from Alfred Blalock to modern concept of perioperative management of thymectomy in myasthenic patients

Authors:

Topolnitskiy E.B., Gusakov V.V.

More about the authors

Journal: Pirogov Russian Journal of Surgery. 2026;(5): 60‑66

Read: 354 times


To cite this article:

Topolnitskiy EB, Gusakov VV. MIASTOP: from Alfred Blalock to modern concept of perioperative management of thymectomy in myasthenic patients. Pirogov Russian Journal of Surgery. 2026;(5):60‑66. (In Russ.)
https://doi.org/10.17116/hirurgia202605160

Recommended articles:
QMGS score as a predictor of myasthenic crisis after thymectomy in patients with severe myasthenia. Russian Journal of Anesthesiology and Reanimatology. 2025;(6):15-20
Diagnosis of myasthenia gravis in a patient with poly­myositis. S.S. Korsakov Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry. 2026;(2):130-135

References:

  1. Dresser L, Wlodarski R, Rezania K, Soliven B. Myasthenia Gravis: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology and Clinical Manifestations. J Clin Med. 2021;10(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10112235
  2. Zabolotskikh IB, Belkin AA, Butrov AV, et al. Perioperative management of patients with neuromuscular diseases. Guidelines. Russian Journal of Anesthesiology and Reanimatology. 2022;6:6-28. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17116/anaesthesiology20220616
  3. Keynes G. The history of myasthenia gravis. Medical History. 1961;5(4): 313-326.  https://doi.org/10.1017/s0025727300026612
  4. Hughes T. The early history of myasthenia gravis. Neuromusc Dis. 2005; 15(12):878-886.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nmd.2005.08.007
  5. Blalock A, Harvey AM, Ford FR, Lilienthal JL. The treatment of myasthenia gravis by removal of the thymus gland: preliminary report. JAMA. 1941;117(18):1529-1533. https://10.1001/jama.1941.028204400370
  6. Blalock A, Mason MF, Morgan HJ, Riven SS. Myasthenia gravis and tumors of the thymic region: report of a case in which the tumor was removed. Ann Surg. 1939;110(4):544-561.  https://doi.org/10.1097/00000658-193910000-00005
  7. Chang J, Graves HB, Harland JH. Anaesthetic aspect of thymectomy for myasthenia gravis. Canadian Anaesthetists Sosciety J. 1957;4(1):13-20.  https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03009189
  8. Cohn HE, Schlezinger N. Thymectomy in myasthenia gravis: operative technique and postoperative care. Surg Clin North Am. 1967;47(5): 1265-1273. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0039-6109(16)38345-1
  9. Friedlander A. The diagnosis and treatment of enlarged thymus. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1913;(1): 38-56.  https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.1913.04100310041006
  10. Pierchalla L. Ueber die Rontgenbehandlungder hyperplastischen Thymus bei Myasthenia pseudoparalytica. Therap Halbomonatsh. 1921; 16:504. 
  11. Simon HE. Myasthenia gravis: effect of treatment with anterior pituitary extract: preliminary report. JAMA. 1935;104(23):2065-2066. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1935.02760230013004
  12. Torda C, Wolff HG. Effects of adrenocorticotrophic hormone on neuro-muscular function in patients with myasthenia gravis. J Clin Investig. 1949;28(5):1228-1235. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI102157
  13. Soffer LJ, Gabrilove JL. The effects of anterior pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in myasthenia gravis with tumor of the thymus. J Mount Sinai Hospital. 1948;15(2):73-82. 
  14. Millikan CH, Eaton LM. Cortisone in neurologic diseases. Proceedings of the staff meetings. Mayo Clin. 1950; 25(17): 499-500. 
  15. Eisen AA, Norris JW. Adrenal steroid therapy in neurological disease. Part I. Canadian Med Assoc J. 1969;100(1):27-30. 
  16. Bolooki H, Schwartzman RJ. High-dose steroids for perioperative management of patients with myasthenia gravis undergoing thymectomy. A preliminary report. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1978;75(5):754-757. 
  17. Kuzin MI, Gekht BM. Myasthenia.M.: Medicine; 1996. (In Russ.).
  18. Fateh-Moghadam A, Wick M, Besinger U, Geursen RG. High-dose intravenous gammaglobulin for myasthenia gravis. The Lancet. 1984; 1(8381): 848-849.  https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(84)92294-3
  19. Keynes G. Thymectomy for myasthenia gravis. Bristol Medico-Chirl J. 1949;66(240):100-102. 
  20. Lebedinskii KM. Thymectomy in patients with myasthenia: history of anesthetic tactics. Grekov’s Bulletin of Surgery. 2006;165(2):110-113. (In Russ.).
  21. Schwinn J. Thymic asthma, with report of a case of thymectomy and resection of enlarged thyroid in a child 23 days old. J Am Med Assoc. 1908;50(25):2059-2061. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1908.25310510027002c
  22. Schumacher E, Roth J. Thymektomiebeieinem Fall von Morbus Basedowi mit Myasthenie. Grenzgebd Medu Chir. 1912;25:746-765. 
  23. Petrash AA, Sotnikov AV. History of tracheal intubation: from first mentions to modern thoracic anesthesiology. Russian Journal of Anesthesiology and Reanimatology. 2018;(3):33-40. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17116/anaesthesiology201803133
  24. Zaitsev AYu, Svetlov VA, Dubrovin KV, Polyakova YuV, Shepetovskaya NL. History of surgical and non-surgical tracheal intubation. Pirogov Russian Journal of Surgery. 2021;1:98-105. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17116/hirurgia202101198
  25. Chang J, Graves HB, Harland JH. Anaesthetic aspect of thymectomy for myasthenia gravis. Canadian Anaesthetists Sosciety J. 1957;4(1):13-20.  https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03009189
  26. Bennett AE, Cash PT. Myasthenia gravis: curare sensitivity; a new diagnostic test and approach to causation. Arch Neurol Psychiatry. 1943; 49(4):537-547.  https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurpsyc.1943.02290160059004
  27. Paton WDM, Zaimis EJ. Actions and clinical assessment of drugs which produce neuromuscular block. The Lancet. 1950;2(6638):568-570.  https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(50)91541-8
  28. Sellick B. Decamethonium iodide in myasthenia gravis. The Lancet. 1950;256(6642):822-823.  https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(50)91757-0
  29. Unterbuchner C, Fink H, Blobner M. The use of sugammadex in a patient with myasthenia gravis. Anaesthesia. 2010;65(3):302-305.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2044.2009.06236.x
  30. Vasconcelos E. Cancer of the Esophagus: Original Technique for Total Esophagectomy. Dis Chest. 1944;10(6):471-480.  https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.10.6.471
  31. Dykhno AM, Zlotnikova EYa. On the role of thymus in the pathogenesis of myasthenia (thymectomy in adults). Neuropathology and Psychiatry. 1941;6:7-8. (In Russ.).
  32. Foldes FF, McNall PG. Myastheniagravis: A guide for anesthesiologists. Anesthesiology. 1962;23(6):837-872.  https://doi.org/10.1097/00000542-196211000-00015
  33. Gadzhiev SA, Dogel LV, Vanevsky VL. Diagnostics and surgical treatment of myasthenia. L.: Medicine; 1971. (In Russ.).
  34. Simpson JA. An evaluation of thymectomy in myasthenia gravis. Brain. 1958;81(1):112-144.  https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/81.1.112
  35. Jenkins LC, Chang J, Saxton GD. Myasthenia gravis: anesthetic and surgical management of the patient undergoing thymectomy. Canadian Med Assoc J. 1965;93(5):198-203. 
  36. Leventhal SR, Orkin FK, Hirsh RA. Prediction of the need for postoperative mechanical ventilation in myasthenia gravis. Anesthesiology. 1980;53(1):26-30.  https://doi.org/10.1097/00000542-198007000-00006
  37. Besinger UA, Toyka KV, Hömberg M, Heininger K, Hohlfeld R, Fateh-Moghadam A. Myasthenia gravis: long-term correlation of binding and bungarotoxin blocking antibodies against acetylcholine receptors with changes in disease severity. Neurology. 1983;33(10):1316-1321. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.33.10.1316
  38. Topolnitskiy EB, Gusakov VV. Comparison of prognostic scales of myasthenic crisis after thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis. Russian Journal of Anesthesiology and Reanimatology. 2024;6:63-69. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17116/anaesthesiology202406163
  39. Sidnev DV, Sanadze AG, Shcherbakova NI, Vetshev PS, Kondratyev AV. Antibodies to titin in assessing the effectiveness of thymectomy in patients with generalized myasthenia without thymoma. Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2007;4:48-50. (In Russ.).
  40. Hughes T. The early history of myasthenia gravis. Neuromuscular Disorders. 2005;15(12):878-886.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nmd.2005.08.007
  41. Kharchenko VP, Sarkisov DS, Vetshev PS, Galil-Ogly GA, Zairatyants OV. Diseases of the thymus gland. Moscow: Triada-X; 1998. (In Russ.).
  42. Sanadze AG. Myasthenia and myasthenic syndromes: a guide for doctors. Moscow: Litterra; 2012. (In Russ.).
  43. Rehn L. Compression from the thymus gland and resultant death. Excerpts from the transactions of the German Congress of Surgery. Ann Surg.1906;44(4):760-768. 
  44. Topolnitskiy EB, Borodina YuA. Videothoracoscopic interventions for tumors and cysts of the mediastinum. Endoscopic Surgery. 2020; 26(6):17-21. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17116/endoskop20202606117
  45. Carlens E, Johansson L, Olsson P. Mediastinoscopy auxiliary to thymectomy by the cervical route. Les Bronches. 1967;17(5):408-410. 
  46. Jolly PC, Li R, Anderson RP. Anterior and cervical mediastinoscopy for determining operability and predicting resectability in lung cancer. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1980;79(3):366-371. 
  47. Altman EI, Motus IYa, Skornyakov SN. Parasternal mediastinopleuroscopy in diagnostics of malignant neoplasms of the anterior mediastinum. Oncology Issues. 1984;30(1):18-23. (In Russ.).
  48. Arom KV, Franz JL, Grover FL, Trinkle JK. Subxiphoid anterior mediastinal exploration. Ann Thor Surg. 1977;24(3):289-290.  https://doi.org/10.1016/s0003-4975(10)63759-9
  49. Kido T, Hazama K, Inoue Y, Tanaka Y, Takao T. Resection of anterior mediastinal masses through an infrasternal approach. Annals Thorac Surg. 1999;67(1):263-265.  https://doi.org/10.1016/s0003-4975(98)01210-7
  50. Hutter J, Jungler W, Moritz E. Subxiphoidalvideomediastinoscopy for diagnostic access to the anterior mediastinum. Annals Thorac Surg. 1998;6(4):1427-1428. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0003-4975(98)00651-1
  51. Suda T, Tochii D, Tochii S, Takagi Y. Trans-subxiphoid robotic thymectomy. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2015;20(5):669-671.  https://doi.org/10.1093/icvts/ivv001
  52. Landreneau RJ, Dowling RD, Castillo WM, Ferson PF. Thoracoscopic resection of an anterior mediastinal tumor. Ann Thorac Surg. 1992;54(1):142-144.  https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-4975(92)91162-3
  53. Sugarbaker DJ. Thoracoscopy in the management of anterior mediastinal masses. Ann Thorac Surg. 1993;56(3):653-656.  https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-4975(93)90942-b
  54. Caronia FP, Fiorelli A, Santini M, Cottone S. Uniportal bilateral video-assisted thoracoscopic extended thymectomy for myasthenia gravis: A case report. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2015;150(1):e1-e3.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2015.03.063
  55. Ashton RC Jr, McGinnis KM, Connery CP, Swistel DG, Ewing DR, DeRose JJ Jr. (2003). Totally endoscopic robotic thymectomy for myasthenia gravis. Ann Thorac Surg. 2003;75(2):569-571.  https://doi.org/10.1016/s0003-4975(02)04296-0
  56. Yurevich VA, Rozenberg NK. On the issue of blood washing outside the body and the vitality of red blood cells. Russian Doctor. 1914;13:637-639. (In Russ.).
  57. Pinching AJ, Peters DK. Remission of myasthenia gravis following plasma exchange. Lancet. 1976;2(8000):1373-1376. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(76)91917-6
  58. d’Empaire G, Hoaglin DC, Perlo VP, Pontoppidan H. Effect of prethymectomy plasma exchange on postoperative respiratory function in myasthenia gravis. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1985;89(4):592-596. 
  59. Sigal EI, Sigal AM, Sigal RE, Burmistrov MV, Bikbaeva VR. The role of plasmapheresis in prevention of complications after thoracoscopic thymectomy in patients with myasthenia combined with thymic hyperplasia. Pirogov Russian Journal of Surgery. 2016;11:36-40. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17116/hirurgia201611236-40
  60. Shkrob OS, Vetshev PS, Ippolitov IKh, et al. Thymomas with myasthenic syndrome. Pirogov Russian Journal of Surgery.1998;6:95-99. (In Russ.).

Email Confirmation

An email was sent to test@gmail.com with a confirmation link. Follow the link from the letter to complete the registration on the site.

Email Confirmation

We use cооkies to improve the performance of the site. By staying on our site, you agree to the terms of use of cооkies. To view our Privacy and Cookie Policy, please. click here.