To eliminate the morbidity associated with thymectomy, we used high-dose corticosteroids perioperatively in 32 patients who had Class II and III myasthenia gravis. All patients were extubated within 2 hours after the operation, and none required respiratory support postoperatively. The average stay in the intensive care unit was 20 hours and the average hospital stay, 6 days. Addition of high-dose corticosteroids to the perioperative management of patients with myasthenia gravis undergoing thymectomy improved the immediate operative results and eliminated the morbidity associated with this procedure.
