Residual thymic tissue means that there is still visible thymic tissue from when you were born.

Thymic hyperplasia implies that what was there is growing. And there are different definitions of hyperplasia, different "types" of it, if you will.

So they are not the same thing. Being able to determine the difference is not so easy. But for those of us with MG, the little sucker can indeed "grow" or be hyperplastic due to autoimmune issues in our bodies.

Tracy, You may not know what the difference is. Usually you need to consult with a cardiothoracic surgeon, the ones who actually do the thymectomies. They will go over your particular history, any complications you might have, etc. Then they often send a report to your neurologist and then you can discuss it further with them.

This is nothing to jump into. You have to take a calm and reasoned approach. Surgery is no small thing when you have MG and it alone can trigger a crisis. Not to mention that the drugs used can tank MG.

I hope you can take some time to let it sink in. It's good that they didn't see a thymoma. Like I said, that does not rule one out. CT's only see so much.

Debra, there are a lot of cells in the body - especially those that are hyperplastic - that can grow back. Sad but true.

Annie