Korean J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg.  1998 Jul;31(7):697-702.

Endoscopic transthoracic sympathectomy : An efficient and safe method for the treatment of hyperhidrosis

• Choi SH
• Han JO
• Yang HW
• Chui JB

Abstract

Hyperhidrosis of the palms, axillae, and the face has a strong negative impact on the quality of life for many people. Existing nonsurgical therapeutic options are far from ideal. A definitive cure can be obtained by upper thoracic sympathectomy. The traditional open surgical technique is a major procedure; few patients and doctors have found that risk-benefit considerations favor surgery. Endoscopic minimal invasive surgical techniques are now available. We investigated whether endoscopic ablation of upper thoracic sympathetic chain (T2-4) is an efficient and safe treatment of hyperhidrosis. We treated 40 patients with bilateral endoscopic transthoracic sympathectomy. There were no mortalities, life-threatening complication, no treatment failures occurred in 40 patients. After a short-term follow-up, 100% of the patients reported satisfactory results. Endoscopic transthoracic sympathectomy is an efficient, safe, and minimally invasive surgical method for the treatment of palmar, axillary hyperhidrosis.

Keyword

Hyperhidrosis; Sympathectomy; Thoracoscopy

MeSH Terms

Axilla
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Hyperhidrosis*
Mortality
Quality of Life
Sympathectomy*
Thoracoscopy
Treatment Failure