Effects of Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy on Raynaud's Disease

Raynaud's disease is a disorder that is characterized by attacks of pain, cyanosis, redness, and numbness in the upper extremities caused by vasospasm of digital arteries due to cold or emotional stress. We aimed at demonstrating our experiences with endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) in the treatment of Raynaud's disease.

From 48 patients who underwent ETS for various reasons at our department between January 2014 and January 2015, we reviewed 9 patients with Raynaud's disease (18.7%) with respect to their demographic characteristics such as gender and age, postoperative complications, short-term results, side effects, recurrence of symptoms, and long-terms results.

The symptoms and findings reappeared and the number and dosage of the drugs used returned to their preoperative levels in 66.6% of the patients at month 6, and in all patients except 1 at the end of the 1st year.

ETS should be considered an ultimate choice for patients with Raynaud's disease who have treatment-resistant severe symptoms and serious complications, disturbed social and daily lives, and impaired quality of life, and all patients should be properly informed before the surgery about the possibility of a high rate of recurrence.