Long-term cardiopulmonary function after thoracic sympathectomy: comparison between the conventional and simplified techniques.

Objective: We sought to compare the long-term effects of conventional and simplified thoracic sympathectomy on cardiopulmonary function.

Methods: We performed a prospective and randomized study of 32 patients with diagnoses of primary hyperhidrosis who were candidates for either conventional or simplified thoracic sympathectomy. Patients were randomized according to the type of procedure: conventional thoracic sympathectomy (18 patients) and simplified thoracic sympathectomy (14 patients).

Relevance of training in transbronchial fine-needle aspiration technique.

Transbronchial fine-needle aspiration (TBFNA) is a valuable and low-risk procedure that provides access to mediastinal nodes. To learn if increased experience improved TBFNA performance, we compared overtime TBFNA diagnostic yields between a skilled bronchoscopist and another without experience on TBFNA technique. We found higher TBFNA yields in the experienced bronchoscopist (p < 0.