Is compensatory hyperhidrosis after thoracic sympathicotomy in palmar hyperhidrosis patients related to the excitability of thoracic sympathetic ganglions?

Patient experience and prognostic factors of compensatory hyperhidrosis and recurrence after endoscopic thoracic sympathicotomy

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate compensatory hyperhidrosis (CH) and recurrence based on an online survey of patients who underwent endoscopic thoracic sympathicotomy(ETS) for palmar and/or axillary hyperhidrosis.

METHODS

We enrolled 231 patients who underwent ETS for palmar and/or axillary hyperhidrosis from January 2008 to April 2021. Patients responded to an online questionnaire regarding CH and recurrence, their electronic medical records were reviewed. Logistic regression was performed to find the risk factors related to CH and recurrence.

RESULTS

The median time of survey from surgery was 20 months. Although 94% of patients were satisfied with the surgery, 86.1% experienced CH; of them, it was severe in 30.7%. Three months after surgery, there was no long-term change in the severity of CH. The development of CH showed a close relationship with age of 20 years or more (OR: 2.73). Recurrence occurred in 44(19.0%) patients, and the use of anti-adhesive agents was a significant preventive factor against recurrence after ETS (OR: 0.42).

CONCLUSIONS

We observed that CH and recurrence after ETS for palmar and/or axillary hyperhidrosis were relatively common. Age at the time of surgery was associated with CH, and the use of anti-adhesive agents showed to lower the risk of recurrence after ETS.

Heart rate variability as a potential diagnostic tool to predict compensatory hyperhidrosis after sympathectomy in patients with primary focal hyperhidrosis

Background

Primary focal hyperhidrosis (PFH) is associated with autonomic nervous activity, and studies investigating this association in patients with PFH are very important. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a simple and noninvasive electrocardiographic test showing activity and balance in the autonomic nervous system, which consists of sympathetic and parasympathetic components. The aims of this study are to investigate associations between autonomic nervous activity and hyperhidrosis characteristics using HRV and to investigate the association between HRV findings and compensatory hyperhidrosis (CH) after sympathectomy.

Methods

From March 2017 to March 2020, 105 subjects with PFH who underwent preoperative HRV tests and sympathectomy were analyzed. All subjects underwent bilateral thoracoscopic sympathectomy. T2 sympathectomy was conducted for craniofacial hyperhidrosis, and T3 sympathectomy was conducted for palmar hyperhidrosis. The following HRV parameters chosen to investigate the association between hyperhidrosis and autonomic nervous activity were measured by time and frequency domain spectral analysis: (I) time domain: standard deviation of normal-to-normal interval (SDNN) and square root of mean squared differences of successive normal-to-normal intervals (RMSSD), (II) frequency domain: total power (TP) of power spectral density, very low frequency (VLF), low frequency (LF), and high frequency (HF). HRV parameters were analyzed according to hyperhidrosis type (craniofacial vs. palmar type), sweat reduction, and CH after sympathectomy. In addition, the independent HRV parameters influencing CH after sympathectomy were investigated with multivariate analysis.

Results

Craniofacial hyperhidrosis was significantly more prevalent in the old age group (P<0.001). Sweat reduction after sympathectomy was significantly more prominent in palmar hyperhidrosis (P=0.037), and CH after sympathectomy was more prominent in craniofacial hyperhidrosis (P<0.001). Palmar type patients exhibited significantly larger SDNN, RMSSD, TP, LF, and HF than craniofacial type patients (all P<0.001). There were no significant differences in any HRV parameters according to sweat reduction after sympathectomy. Low-degree CH was associated with significantly larger SDNN, RMSSD, TP, LF, and HF than high-degree CH (P<0.001, P<0.001, P=0.002, P=0.001, and P<0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that HF and age group were associated with CH after sympathectomy (P=0.007 and P=0.010, respectively).

Conclusions

This study shows that HRV can provide useful insight into the pathophysiology of PFH and enhance preoperative risk stratification of CH. Large-scale, prospective studies are required to determine the predictive value of HRV in patients at risk for subsequent CH after sympathectomy.

New sympathicotomy for prevention of severe compensatory hyperhidrosis in patients with primary hyperhidrosis

Background

Primary hyperhidrosis (PH) is characterized by excessive and uncontrollable secretion in the eccrine sweat glands of the craniofacial region, armpits, hands, and feet. Sympathicotomy is the most effective treatment for severe PH; however, compensatory hyperhidrosis (CH) remains the most devastating postoperative complication. The purpose of the present study was to suggest a new sympathicotomy method for PH to prevent severe CH.

Methods

From March 2014 to December 2018, a total of 212 patients were included in the study. R2 (53 cases) sympathicotomy for craniofacial hyperhidrosis and R3 (79 cases) or R4 (80 cases) sympathicotomy for palmar hyperhidrosis using the thoracoscopic technique were performed, respectively. Sympathicotomy was performed using two different methods (conventional 145 cases and new 67 cases). Expanded sympathicotomy was performed as the new method (67 cases), which was divided into two groups (partial- and full-expanded sympathicotomy). Operative effectiveness was evaluated by a reduction in percentage of post-operative sweating compared with pre-operative sweating and groups were divided into complete and incomplete sweat reduction characteristics. Complete sweat reduction was defined as sweat reduction ≥80% compared with preoperative sweating. The degrees of CH were classified as negligible, mild bothering (tolerable), and severe bothering (intolerable). Data on preoperative subject characteristics, disease status, operative technique, and postoperative outcomes were gathered using medical records and telephone surveys.

Results

According to sympathicotomy techniques, the conventional procedure (non-expanded sympathicotomy) was performed in 145 cases and the new expanded sympathicotomy procedure was performed in 67 cases (partial-expanded sympathicotomy 28 cases; full-expanded sympathicotomy 39 cases). Craniofacial hyperhidrosis was significantly more prevalent in the older group and in female patients (P<0.001 and P=0.007, respectively). Sympathicotomy was significantly more effective in palmar hyperhidrosis than craniofacial hyperhidrosis (P<0.001). CH was significantly more severe in craniofacial hyperhidrosis than palmar hyperhidrosis after sympathicotomy (P<0.001). In craniofacial hyperhidrosis, there was no significant difference in sweat reduction and CH between conventional and the expanded sympathicotomy techniques (P=0.177 and P=0.474, respectively). In palmar hyperhidrosis, there was no significant difference in sweat reduction between the conventional and the expanded sympathicotomy (P=0.178), however, degree of CH in the conventional technique was significantly more severe than in the expanded technique (P=0.001). Regarding comparison between partial- and full-expanded sympathicotomy, there was no significant difference in sweat reduction between partial-, and full-expanded sympathicotomy; however, CH was significantly more severe in partial-expanded sympathicotomy (craniofacial hyperhidrosis P=0.006; palmar hyperhidrosis P<0.001). Irrespective of hyperhidrosis types, there was no significant difference in sweat reduction between full-expanded and the others (non-expanded and partial-expanded sympathicotomy), however, full-expanded sympathicotomy showed a significantly less degree of CH than non-expanded and partial-expanded sympathicotomy (craniofacial, P=0.002; palmar, P<0.001).

Conclusions

Full-expanded sympathicotomy is a safe and feasible treatment that shows a significant decrease in the degree of CH with the same effect in sweat reduction in both craniofacial and palmar hyperhidrosis. Importantly, no severe CH developed after a full-expanded sympathicotomy without any major postoperative complications.