Bilateral thoracoscopic sympathectomy for primary hyperhydrosis: a review of 335 cases.
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this retrospective study was to evaluate the outcomes of bilateral video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy for primary hyperhydrosis.


METHODS
Between January 2007 and December 2011, a total of 335 patients (192 male, 143 female, mean age 28.3 years) who underwent bilateral thoracoscopic sympathectomy for primary hyperhydrosis were reviewed retrospectively.


RESULTS
Hyperhydrosis occurred in the palmar and axillary region in 175 (52.23%) patients, in only the palmar region in 52 (15.52%), in the craniofacial region in 44 (13.13%), in only the axillary region in 42 (12.53%), and in the palmar and pedal regions in 22 (6.56%) patients. Bilateral thoracoscopic sympathectomy was performed in all patients. The mean follow-up period was 24 (6-48) months. The initial cure rate was 95% and the initial satisfaction rate was 93%. There was no mortality in this study. The complication rate was 15.82% in 53 patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy for the treatment of primary hyperhydrosis was effective, with low rates of morbidity and mortality. Despite the appearance of postoperative complications, such as compensatory sweating, patient satisfaction with the procedure was high and their quality of life improved.
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Selcuklu Medicine Faculty, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey.
Murat
M
Oncel
Güven
G
Sadi Sunam
Esref
E
Erdem
Yüksel
Y
Dereli
Bekir
B
Tezcan
Kazim
K
Gürol Akyol
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006945:Hyperhidrosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013546:Sweating; D013562:Sympathectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted / Q000009:adverse effects; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult