title: Compensatory sweating after restricting or lowering the level of sympathectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare compensatory sweating after lowering or restricting the level of sympathectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted of all randomized controlled trials published in English that compared compensatory sweating after lowering or restricting the level of sympathectomy. The Cochrane collaboration tool was used to assess the risk of bias, and the Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio method was used for the meta-analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 11 randomized controlled trials were included, including a total of 1079 patients. Five of the randomized controlled trials studied restricting the level of sympathectomy, and the remaining six studied lowering the level of sympathectomy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The compiled randomized controlled trial results published so far in the literature do not support the claims that lowering or restricting the level of sympathetic ablation results in less compensatory sweating.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Song-Wang
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.
authors.forename: Dong-Xia
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: An
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jun-Hang
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D006945:Hyperhidrosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D017594:Publication Bias; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013546:Sweating / Q000502:physiology*; D013562:Sympathectomy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome