Journal Review in Thoracic Surgery: Health Consequences of Thymectomy in Adults

Behind The Knife: The Surgery Podcast

Does the adult thymus have a purpose and function? Are there any long-term health effects of thymectomy? Tune in to another Swedish Thoracic surgery journal review where we discuss the recent paper out of the NEJM which reports on the health consequences of thymus removal in adults. This paper has been widely picked up by the media and our patients frequently bring it into the office. Listen as we discuss the study population, methods, and potential applications of this paper.
Learning Objectives:

- Review the purpose and function of the thymus.
- Discuss the population, methods, and results of this trial.
- Discuss the application of this paper and how it may or may not impact clinical practice for thoracic surgeons.
Hosts:

Chloe E. Hanson, MD, PGY-3
Kelly Daus MD, PGY-4
Peter White, MD, Thoracic Surgery Attending
Brian Louie, MD, Thoracic Surgery Attending
Reference Material:

Kooshesh KA, Foy BH, Sykes DB, Gustafsson K, Scadden DT. Health Consequences of Thymus Removal in Adults. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(5):406-417.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37530823/

Lin TM, Chang YS, Hou TY, et al. Risk of incident autoimmune diseases in patients with thymectomy. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2020;7(7):1072-1082.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32478484/
Please visit https://behindtheknife.org to access other high-yield surgical education podcasts, videos and more.
If you liked this episode, check out our recent episodes here: https://app.behindtheknife.org/listen