The thymus gland has always fascinated me and, despite the ever-growing abun dance of medical books, this subject seemed to be a bit of a "poor relation." As a surgeon, the lack of information was particularly frustrating, and this is why I de cided to edit a text covering the different aspects of thymic pathology, surgery, and prognosis. It is always difficult to strike a balance between what is to be included and left out of a book about a subject intended for readers of different specialities. This one was written primarily to provide valuable information to surgeons on most aspects related to thymic surgery and to other specialists who are often confront ed with thymic diseases. Written by leaders in their respective fields, I hope it will provide an excellent reference for those interested in an up-to-date synthesis of general knowledge of such highly specialized areas as immunology, pathology, and neuroscience. The opening chapters on clinical management provide a historical review and descriptions of the normal thymus and surgical pathology. Later chapters review the various diseases related to the surgical pathology of the thymus. Investiga tions, surgical procedures, and other therapeutic modalities are also extensively covered. The book closes with chapters on the postoperative evolution of myas thenia gravis and thymic tumors, as well as on the effect of thymectomy in hu man oncogenesis.

1 Historical Review

I. Normal Thymus
2 Embryology and Congenital Anomalies
3 Anatomy
4 Histology
5 Physiology
6 Immunology
II. Surgical Pathology
7 Hyperplasia
8 Thymic Cysts
9 Epithelial Tumors
10 Neuroendocrine, Germ Cell, and Nonepithelial Tumors
11 Mediastinal Tumor-like Conditions and Tumors that can Simulate Thymic Neoplasms
III. Related Diseases
12 Myasthenia Gravis
13 Pure Red Cell Aplasia
14 Immunodeficiency Diseases and Thymoma
15 Other Conditions Associated with Thymic Disorders
IV. Clinical Investigations
16 Conventional Radiology
17 Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging
18 Methods for Neurophysiological Investigation
19 Dosage of Serum Acetylcholine Receptor Antibodies
V. Surgical Procedures
20 Indications for Thymectomy
21 Surgical Approaches
22 Technical Aspects of Thymectomy
23 Anaesthesia for Thymectomy
24 Postoperative Care
25 Thymectomy in Childhood
26 Thymic Transplantation for Relief of Immunodeficiency
VI. Other Therapeutic Modalities
27 Chemotherapy for Invasive Thymomas
28 Radiotherapy of Thymic Tumors
29 Treatment of Myasthenia Gravis After Thymectomy
VII. Post-Thymectomy Evolution
30 Value of Thymectomy for Myasthenia Gravis
31 Postoperative Evolution and Prognosis of Thymic Tumors
32 Effects of Thymectomy in Human Oncogenesis.