Surgical aspects of videothoracoscopic thymectomy using the mobilization method “from the thymic veins”

Modern thymus surgery cannot be imagined without videoendoscopic technologies. Thymus surgeries are performed using multiport, single-port, subxiphoidal approaches, as well as with the participation of robotic systems. This report presents an original method of videothoracoscopic thymectomy, the peculiarity of which lies in the sequence of stages of the operation. According to the technique, before the isolation of the thymus gland in combination with mediastinal tissue, mobilization and ligation of the thymic veins are performed. The described technique is aimed at preventing a massive release of autoantibodies to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors into the bloodstream and preventing the development of postoperative myasthenic crisis.