Prospective Analysis of Patients with Axillary, Palmar and Axillary-Palmar Hyperhidrosis who Underwent Bilateral R4-R5 Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Sympathicotomy

Abstract

Background: Video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathicotomy is a safe, effective and minimally invasive procedure, and its emergence greatly changed hyperhidrosis treatment. However, the possibility of standardizing interruption levels on the sympathetic chain has not yet been evaluated. This study sought to evaluate the frequency of compensatory sweating and the recurrence and satisfaction rates after bilateral R4-R5 video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathicotomy in patients with primary focal hyperhidrosis with involvement of the axillary, palmar, or both regions. Methods: From November 2010 to February 2013, an observational prospective cohort study was conducted with 42 patients who underwent bilateral video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathicotomy. During the procedure, electrocautery was performed along the sympathetic chain at the levels R4-R5, and the nerve of Kuntz and the path between levels R4-R5 were also sectioned. Results: No cases in which the video-assisted thoracoscopy had to be converted to thoracotomy were observed. Compensatory sweating was observed in 47.6% of patients within the first six months after surgery, decreasing to 30.9% at the end of this period. Hyperhidrosis recurrence occurred in only two patients. In total, 24.1% of patients with associated plantar hyperhidrosis reported that the condition disappeared after surgery. The satisfaction rate was 89.7% in the immediate postoperative period. Conclusions: The frequency of compensatory sweating, the recurrence rate of symptoms and the satisfaction rate after sectioning by cauterization with electrocautery at the R4-R5 levels were similar to those reported for other types of interruption and other levels studied. Moreover, the interruption level adopted also had beneficial effects on plantar hyperhidrosis.