Thoracic Sympathetic Ganglionectomy for Primary Hyperhidrosis

Kim, Il Hyun; Kim, Kwang Taik; Lee, In Sung; Kim, Hyoung Mook; Kim, Hak Jae

Abstract

From January 1996 to December 1996, we performed 137 thoracic sympathetic ganglionectomies with VATs for primary hyperhidrosis in the department of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at Anam hospital, Korea university medical center. There were 83 men and 54 women whose ages ranged from 13 to 63 years old (mean age: 25years). Of these patients, 128 patients had complained of palmar hyperhidrosis and 26 of facial hyperhidrosis. Thoracoscopic sympathetic ganglionectomies procedures included lower 1/3 Stellate ganglionectomies in 4 patients; lower 1/3 Stellate ganglionectomies and T2-sympathetic ganglionectomies in 18 patients; T2-sympathetic ganglionectomies in 86 patients; T2 and T3 sympathetic ganglionectomies in 10 patients; and T2, T3 and T4 sympathetic ganglionectomies in 19 patients. The mean operating time was 59 minutes (range: 25 to 162 minutes), and the mean hospital stay was 3.8 days (range: 2 to 8 days). Common complications were compensatory hyperhidrosis (109 patients) and causalgia (18 patients). At the end of the follow-up period (mean: 8 months) ninety-seven percent of the patients reported satisfactory results. Thoracic sympathetic ganglionectomy with VATs is an efficient, safe, and minimally invasive surgical procedure for primary hyperhidrosis.