The Effect of Thoracoscopic Sympathectomy on the Quality of Life and the Functional outcome of the Patients with Primary Palmar Hyperhidrosis

Hyperhidrosis is a disorder of excessive sweat production. It can profoundly affect the quality of life and the functional outcome of the patients with severe impairment of daily activities, social relationships and occupational activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of thoracoscopic sympathectomy at the T2-T4 levels on the quality of life and the functional outcome of the patients with palmar hyperhidrosis. This retrospective study includes 75 patients with palmar hyperhidrosis referred to the Razi Hospital from 2007 to 2011 and underwent thoracoscopic sympathectomy at the T2-T4 levels. The Quality of life of the patients was evaluated using the Dermatology Life Quality index(DLQI) and questionnaire form for functional outcome, while the pain of the patients was evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS) before and 6 months after operation. Results: The mean age of the patients was 26 years. The number of men was nearly equal to women. After operation, 73 patients (97.3%) had complete remission and 2 patients (2.7%) had partial remission. The Quality of life and the functional outcome of the patients improved significantly after operation (P<0.001). The most common complication was compensatory hyperhydrosis occurred in 41.3% of cases. Thoracoscopic sympathectomy is an effective and safe therapeutic modality for palmar hyperhydrosis. This operation improves the quality of life and the functional outcome of the patients significantly.