Percutaneous Chemical Dorsal Sympathectomy for Hyperhidrosis

Abstract

Introduction: Hyperhidrosis can be a very annoying and troublesome problem. It can interfere with the daily activities of the patient, cause psychosocial troubles, even a simple handshake can be quite a challenge. The objective of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of a new method for chemical ablation of D2 and D3 dorsal sympathetic ganglia to control medically refractory palmar hyperhidrosis.

Patients and Methods: This study was conducted on 30 patients with refractory palmar hyperhidrosis in the period from January 2006 till January 2008 to detect the efficacy of dorsal chemical sympathectomy using absolute (97%) alcohol to make chemical lesions in the D2 and D3 sympathetic ganglia as a treatment for excessive palmar hyperhidrosis. All patients were followed up in the outpatient clinic at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 1 year intervals after the procedure.

Results: The procedure was found to cause complete cessation of palmar hyperhidrosis in 27 of our 30 patients (90%) at 1 year of follow-up. No serious complications were encountered with the procedure in the perioperative or postoperative follow-up.

Conclusion: Percutaneous chemical dorsal sympathectomy is an easy, effective, and safe procedure for control of palmar hyperhidrosis.

Key words

percutaneous treatment - sympathectomy - chemical treatment - hyperhidrosis

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