Laryngeal Mask Airway insertion with total intravenous anesthesia for transsternal thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis: report of 5 cases

Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by a reduction of postsynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction. Most myasthenia gravis patients require thymectomy. Intravenous (IV) anesthetics may be superior to inhalation agents in these patients. The Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA), when compared with the endotracheal tube, causes less airway resistance, which in turn may lead to a decreased bronchoconstrictive reflex, less atelectasis, and fewer pulmonary infections. We report 5 patients with myasthenia gravis, who underwent transsternal thymectomy with total IV anesthesia and LMA.