The thymus: when a rudimentary organ becomes active

Maastricht University Medical Centre is a specialist centre for the surgical treatment of thymomas and the treatment of the muscular disorder myasthenia gravis (MG). Thymoma removal by means of robotic surgery proved to be a safe and reliable treatment option based on an analysis of all patients who underwent a robotic thymectomy between April 2004 and April 2012. The study also examined the role of robotic thymectomy in the treatment of MG among 125 patients. This form of treatment appeared to be safe, with a low morbidity rate and mortality rate of zero. After a median follow-up study 33 months later, 77% of MG patients had improved neurological function and nearly 33% of patients were in remission. This study also describes the discovery of the human polyomavirus in 39 thymomas.