Transthoracic endoscopic sympathectomy in the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis—with emphasis on perioperative management (1,360 case analyses)

Abstract

Background Primary palmar hyperhidrosis (PH) is very common, and can be disabling. Various surgical methods for endoscopic sympathectomy have been advocated. We present a simple and effective method of treating PH by means of transthoracic endoscopic sympathectomy (TES). Methods From July 1994 to May 1998, a total of 1,360 patients with hyperhidrosis palmaris underwent TES. There were 544 males and 816 females with a mean age of 23.1 years old (range, 5 to 60 years). All patients were placed in a half-sitting position under single-lumen intubational anesthesia. We performed the ablation of the T2 ganglion using either a 6- or 8-mm, 0-degree thoracoscope (Karl Storz Company, Germany) Results In these 1,360 patients, 2,715 sympathectomies were performed. TES was usually accomplished within 15 min. Surgical complications were minimal: six cases of pneumothorax (0.44%), four cases of segmental collapse of lung (0.29%), and two wound infections (0.15%). There was no surgical mortality. The mean postoperative follow-up period was 27.8 months. A total of 1,292 patients (95%) had highly satisfactory results, although 1,140 patients (84%) have developed compensatory sweating of the trunk and lower limbs. The affected area was the axillae, back, abdomen, lower limbs (16%, 82%, 52%, and 78%, respectively). The recurrence rates of PH were 0.4% in the first year, 0.6% in the second year, and 1.1% in the third year. Conclusions TES is a simple, safe, and effective method of treating PH.