Abstract
BACKGROUND: To compare postoperative satisfaction, compensatory hyperhidrosis, and the quality of life between thoracoscopic T3 and T4 sympathectomy for the treatment of hand sweating. METHODS: From December 2010 to October 2014, 192 consecutive patients with hand sweating underwent a thoracoscopic bilateral sympathectomy with different planes (T3/T4). The patients were randomly divided into two groups, the T3 and the T4 groups, for those who underwent thoracoscopic T3 and T4 sympathectomy, respectively. All patients underwent double-lumen intubation during the thoracoscopic bilateral sympathectomy. The patients were followed up with by telephone for postoperative evaluation on the safety and effectiveness of the procedure, and the two groups (T3 versus T4) were compared to each other for any potential differences. RESULTS: All of the patients' sweating symptoms improved after the procedure. The incidence of compensatory hyperhidrosis and palm dryness in the T4 group was lower than that in the T3 group (P<0.05). The satisfaction rate and the rate of improvement in sweating and the incidence of palm moisture in the T4 group were higher than those in the T3 group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Thoracoscopic T3 and T4 sympathectomy are safe and effective methods for the treatment of hand sweating. Lowering the sympathetic chain resection plane can increase patients' satisfaction and enhance improvements in sweating. It can also reduce the incidence of long-term compensatory hyperhidrosis and palm dryness, but it also increases the incidence of palm moisture.