Research Information System
Clinical Surgery Research Communications, vol.3, no.4, pp.26-30, 2019 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
Background: Hyperhidrosis (HH), which refers to excessive sweating of the body in response to temperature or
emotional stimuli rather than physiological stimuli, can adversely affect quality of life. In this prospective study,
we investigated the long-term effects, development of complications, and patient satisfaction among those who
underwent bilateral single-port endoscopic thoracic sympathecotomy (ETS) for HH.
Methods: Thirty-one patients who underwent bilateral single-port endoscopic thoracic sympathicotomy (ETS)
for HH between January 200 and November 2014 were enrolled in this study. The patients wer1e followed up
until July 2017. Patient satisfaction in terms of the primary complaint (PC) and complications, such as compensatory hyperhidrosis (CH), in the short and long term were recorded.
Results: The mean follow-up period was 60.6 ± 12.8 (min: 40, max: 89) mo postoperatively. When both the
short- and long-term results were evaluated together, CH had no effect on patient satisfaction. However, persistence of the PC in both the short (p = 0.020) and long term (p = 0.001) had a significant effect on satisfaction.
Conclusion: The most important factor affecting patient satisfaction was PC persistence. Thus, further studies
should be performed to enlighten this complication. even though it may remit with time. Whether ETS is a permanent treatment that cannot successfully treat PC, possible complications and the ability to cope with them
will seem to be open to debate as the most important issues that surgeons will have to face in the near future.
Keywords: Complication; hyperhidrosis; surgery; sympathicotomy