Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy for primary hyperhidrosis: an over a decade-long follow-up on efficacy, impact, and patient satisfaction.

Background: Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy is a well-known and effective treatment for palmar and axillary primary hyperhidrosis (PHH). Its most frequent drawback and the main complaint among patients who underwent surgery is the appearance of compensatory sweating (CS). To date, no long-term studies using internationally standardized tools have assessed the efficacy and impact of this surgery on patients. In this study we performed a very long-term follow-up of the patients using an internationally validated tool. The aim of this article is to assess the technique as a treatment for hyperhidrosis, focusing on its long-term efficacy, side effects (CS), and patient satisfaction with the procedure.

Methods: A closed cohort study was performed conducting a review of the clinical records to identify 100 consecutive patients who underwent bilateral endoscopic thoracic surgery with a minimum follow-up period of 2 years. Patients with diagnoses other than primary palmar or axillary hyperhidrosis or those for whom follow-up was impossible were excluded. A structured telephone survey, including the International Hyperhidrosis Society "Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale" (HDSS) was conducted for all patients. Data were summarized using median (1 and 3 quartiles) for quantitative variables and relative and absolute frequencies for qualitative variables. To study the likelihood of a patient recommending the surgery, a Bayesian logistic regression model was used reporting results as odds ratio (OR).

Results: A total of 91 patients were included in the follow-up. The median follow-up duration was 10.66 (5.68, 11.98) years. The most affected zone was the hands (29.67%), and the most common sympathectomy levels were R2 and R3 (68.13%). The overall surgical efficacy rate was of 94.50% and CS appeared in 36.26% of the patients, with 75.76% of these cases being mild and severe in only one patient. In total, 97.8% of patients improved their HDSS score after surgery. The OR of recommending the surgery for a lower HDSS index was 0.24 and 0.18 for the apparition of CS. Despite it, 91.21% of patients recommend the surgery, with an overall satisfaction rate of 93.95%.

Conclusions: Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy is an effective and safe treatment for palmar and axillary PHH, with a relatively low rate of CS which, when present, is typically mild, making it a highly satisfactory treatment option for patients.