Alfred Blalock and thymectomy for myasthenia gravis

Abstract

In 1936, Alfred Blalock performed the successful removal of a thymic tumor in a patient with myasthenia gravis. The patient experienced marked and sustained improvement for several years. Blalock prophesized then that exploration of the thymic region would be indicated in all patients with severe myasthenia gravis. A few years later, in 1941, he applied this theory by introducing thymectomy for nonthymomatous myasthenia and achieved similar improvement. Despite modern sophisticated knowledge about the disease and advances in thoracic surgical techniques, Blalock's original observations remain valid, and thymectomy has become a standard treatment for myasthenia gravis the world over.