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.