Bilateral single-port thoracoscopic sympathectomy with the VasoView device in the treatment of palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis.
Primary or essential hyperhidrosis is a disorder characterized by excessive sweating beyond physiological needs. It is a common disease (with an incidence of up to 2.8%) that causes intense discomfort for patients. Video-assisted thoracoscopic bilateral sympathectomy is an effective surgical treatment with high success rates and improvement in quality of life. In the last decade, the advantages of a single-port thoracoscopic approach have become clear. Problems with intraoperative bleeding management have been solved by using thoracoscopes with integrated electrocautery scissors. In this report, we describe successful transaxillary bilateral single-port thoracoscopic T2-T5 sympathectomy with the VasoView® device in three patients with palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis. The VasoView® device, with its integrated electrocautery scissors, was originally designed for endoscopic vessel harvesting in coronary artery bypass surgery, but it has proven highly effective for single-port thoracoscopic sympathectomy.
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands. w.bouma@thorax.umcg.nl
Wobbe
W
Bouma
Theo J
TJ
Klinkenberg
Massimo A
MA
Mariani
D000328:Adult; D001365:Axilla; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D006945:Hyperhidrosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013562:Sympathectomy / Q000379:methods*; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D020708:Thoracoscopes; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult