Ra. Sayeed et al., QUALITY-OF-LIFE AFTER TRANSTHORACIC ENDOSCOPIC SYMPATHECTOMY FOR UPPER-LIMB HYPERHIDROSIS, The European journal of surgery, 164, 1998, pp. 39-42
Objective: To assess the outcome after transthoracic endoscopic sympat
hectomy (TES) for upper limb hyperhidrosis. Design: Prospective cohort
study. Setting: District general hospital. Subjects: Consecutive pati
ents undergoing TES for upper limb hyperhidrosis over a fifteen month
period. Interventions: One-stage bilateral TES. Main outcome measures:
Change in quality of life as shown by the Short Form-36 health assess
ment questionnaire. Results: Sixteen patients (11 women and 5 men, med
ian age 26 years) underwent operation without complications. At median
follow-up of 6.2 months, symptomatic improvement was found in 26 of 3
2 limbs treated (82%). Truncal compensatory hyperhidrosis was reported
by 13 patients but was severe in only three. There were significant i
mprovements in social function (p = 0.01) and mental health (p = 0.025
) as assessed by the SF-36. Conclusion: Despite a high incidence of co
mpensatory hyperhidrosis, TES improved both the symptoms and overall q
uality of life in patients with upper limb hyperhidrosis.