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Quality of life after transthoracic endoscopic sympathectomy for upper limb hyperhidrosis
R A Sayeed1, I Nyamekye, A S Ghauri
1Department of Vascular Surgery, Cheltenham General Hospital, Gloucestershire, UK.
Objective:
To assess the outcome after transthoracic endoscopic sympathectomy (TES) for upper limb hyperhidrosis.
Design:
Prospective cohort study.
Setting:
District general hospital.
Subjects:
Consecutive patients 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 assessment questionnaire.
Results:
Sixteen patients (11 women and 5 men, median age 26 years) underwent operation without complications. At median follow-up of 6.2 months, symptomatic improvement was found in 26 of 32 limbs treated (82%). Truncal compensatory hyperhidrosis was reported by 13 patients but was severe in only three. There were significant improvements in social function (p = 0.01) and mental health (p = 0.025) as assessed by the SF-36.
Conclusion:
Despite a high incidence of compensatory hyperhidrosis, TES improved both the symptoms and overall quality of life in patients with upper limb hyperhidrosis.