TY - CHAP AU - Victor Tomulescu ED - Joseph A. Pruitt Y1 - 2012-01-20 PY - 2012 T1 - Unilaterally Extended Thoracoscopic Thymectomy: The Right Side or the Left Side Approach N2 - Myasthenia gravis is presently an incurable antibody-mediated autoimmune disorder characterized by generalized voluntary skeletal muscle weakness. The cause of the weakness is a defect at the neuromuscular junction level, in which autoimmune antibodies block the receptors responsible for initiating muscular contraction. Literally translated from its Latin and Greek etymological roots, myasthenia gravis means "grave muscle weakness". Fortunately, advances in modern medicine have resulted in a reduction of the truly "grave" outcomes for those inflicted but, without a cure, the gravity surrounding the disease remains BT - A Look into Myasthenia Gravis SP - Ch. 6 UR - https://doi.org/10.5772/31734 DO - 10.5772/31734 SN - PB - IntechOpen CY - Rijeka Y2 - 2024-03-28 ER -