Endoscopic sympathectomy treatment for craniofacial hyperhidrosis.
OBJECTIVE
To present endoscopic T-2 sympathectomy as a minimally invasive therapy for craniofacial hyperhidrosis (CH).


METHODS
Follow-up study of 30 patients with CH treated by the new method in a 4-year period. The duration of follow-up was from 8 to 44 months (mean, 15 months).


METHODS
University hospital.


METHODS
Thirty consecutive patients with CH (18 men, 12 women) treated by the new method. All patients were essentially in good health except that they suffered from distressing CH to the extent that their daily activities were often disturbed. Their ages ranged from 7 to 63 years (mean age, 42.8 years).


METHODS
Endoscopic sympathectomy on both sides was carried out in a 1-stage operation for all patients.


METHODS
The patients were interviewed 1 week and then 3 months after surgery and then followed up by telephone interview about the alleviation or recurrence of CH and complications.


RESULTS
All of the treated patients obtained a satisfactory alleviation of CH. One case was complicated by a mild and transient ptosis of the left eye. No recurrence of CH was noticed during the follow-up period.


CONCLUSIONS
This therapeutic procedure is minimally invasive and effective. It causes minimal discomfort and was associated with no major complications in this series. The patients require only an overnight hospital stay and the operation scars are small. Endoscopic sympathectomy has proven to be an effective method in treating patients with distressing CH.
Kao
M C
MC
Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei.
Chen
Y L
YL
Lin
J Y
JY
Hsieh
C S
CS
Tsai
J C
JC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004724:Endoscopy; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006945:Hyperhidrosis / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D013562:Sympathectomy / Q000379:methods