1.Which patients are suitable for surgery? (1) Patients under 60 years of age with rapidly progressing disease, combined or uncomplicated thymoma, and unsatisfactory results of anticholinesterase drug therapy (2) Female patients between 30 and 40 years of age, patients with generalized myasthenia gravis with short duration and mild disease with thymic hyperplasia (3) Adult patients with oculomotor myasthenia gravis, once diagnosed, should be treated with surgery as soon as possible. In preschool children, medication should be used as much as possible, but surgery is recommended for patients with poor medication results or suspected thymoma. (4) Patients with myasthenia gravis are generally not suitable for surgery, but should be treated with medication first, and surgery after the symptoms are controlled can reduce the occurrence of postoperative crisis. The total cost of hospitalization and surgery is usually between 15,000 and 20,000 RMB. 3.Does myasthenia gravis require surgery? At present, more than 80% of the patients develop generalized myasthenia gravis within one year after the eye muscle is damaged. Therefore, for adult patients with oculomotor type, once diagnosed, surgery is required for reliable results. For children with myasthenia gravis whose symptoms have worsened after a period of drug treatment or whose symptoms have not improved despite an increase in drug dosage, or who are suspected of having a combined thymoma, surgery is also advisable. 4.Can I have surgery while taking hormones? No. Hormones are mainly used for patients with generalized myasthenia gravis who are not well treated with pyridostigmine and are ready to undergo thymectomy, and patients with myasthenia gravis whose condition has deteriorated and are not suitable for or refuse to undergo thymectomy. aseptic necrosis (4%) and gastric ulcer or gastrointestinal bleeding. As far as possible, hormones should be reduced or stopped before surgery, and then elective surgery. 5.Is it possible to treat conservatively without surgery? At present, it is believed that pyridostigmine is only a symptomatic treatment, and the long-term application of large doses will aggravate the irreversible pathological changes at the neuromuscular junction of the whole body, and it can do nothing for severe and progressive myasthenia gravis. Nowadays, surgery is still the main concept in the international arena, and comprehensive treatment is the concept. 6.Is it a big operation? For the traditional surgery of thymus surgery, the incision is big but the surgery is not big, and there are many postoperative complications; TV thoracoscopic thymectomy is much smaller in terms of the appearance of the surgical incision and the degree of damage to the body, and the patient recovers quickly after the surgery, and the surgical efficacy is the same as that of the traditional surgery through the sternum, which makes up for many shortcomings and deficiencies of the latter. 7.Can I operate if I have a crisis attack? Patients with myasthenia gravis should not be operated immediately, but should be treated with medication first, and then operated after the symptoms are controlled to reduce the occurrence of postoperative crisis. If the effect of medication is not good and the disease cannot be stabilized, only a few cases have been reported in the critical phase of surgery. 8.Does pediatric myasthenia gravis require surgery? The current treatment for childhood myasthenia gravis is mainly non-surgical, because the thymus gland plays a role in the development and maintenance of resistance in these patients, except for children who are not successful with medication or are suspected of having thymoma and need surgery. 9.Does the hospital stay take a long time? The average hospital stay is 2-3 weeks. The chest tube can be removed from the floor on the first 1-2 days after thoracoscopic surgery, and the wound stitches are removed 7-9 days after surgery. 10.What is the function of thymus gland and is it harmful to remove it? The thymus gland plays an important role in the development of the human immune system. This function is almost completed after birth. Removing the thymus gland in the treatment of myasthenia gravis will not affect the immune system thereafter. 11.What is thymectomy and why is it necessary to remove the thymus gland? Thymectomy is the surgical removal of the thymus gland. The thymus gland plays an important role in the development of myasthenia gravis. Removing the thymus gland can greatly improve the symptoms of muscle weakness caused by myasthenia gravis and remove any thymoma that may be present. 12.Where is the thymus and how is it distributed? It is located in the anterior part of the thoracic cavity (anterior mediastinum) extending like a finger to the neck and consists of 2-5 lobes or more. In addition, a significant amount of thymic tissue can be found in the fat around the neck and thoracic lobes. 13.What should I do when considering thymectomy? Choose a surgeon with experience in thymectomy and listen carefully to his advice, explaining your condition, the changes in your condition before and after surgery, possible complications and expected results. Discuss with the neurologist and surgeon to decide whether to operate and choose that type of surgery. 14.What is the purpose of thymectomy surgery? From a neurological point of view, the goal of thymectomy is to significantly improve the patient’s muscle weakness symptoms, reduce the amount of medication and ultimately achieve the desired lasting relief (complete discontinuation of medication and complete disappearance of all muscle weakness symptoms). 15. How is the surgery done? There are three basic types of surgery, each with a different technique, but the goal of complete removal of the thymus is the same. Most people believe that the attached fat should be removed, but others believe that this cannot be ensured. Transsternal sternotomy thymectomy Transcervical thymectomy (which has largely been abandoned) TV-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy. 16.When can I resume normal activities? It depends on the degree of muscle weakness of each individual, the type of surgery, and the type of work. Manual laborers are slower to recover than literal workers. Generally speaking a recovery period of 3-6 weeks is needed after surgery. 17. What are the results of thymectomy? Most patients can obtain different degrees of remission within one year after surgery, and the cure rate can be over 70% after five years. The earlier the surgery, the better the results, and the early surgery can reach more than 90%.