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American Sympathectomy Institute
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Hyperhidrosis
(excessive sweating)
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FOR MORE INFORMATION...
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| The University of Maryland Division of Thoracic Surgery is one of the nation's pioneers in treating hyperhidrosis. Click here to visit their comprehensive Web site, for additional information on hyperhidrosis, thoracoscopic sympathectomy, sympathectomy FAQs and more. |
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It is estimated that more than 200,000 Americans suffer from an embarrassing
problem that interferes with their work and social life -- excessive sweating.
While everyone perspires more when they get nervous or excited or when
they exercise, people with hyperhidrosis perspire excessively, often for
no apparent reason. For these individuals, the palms of their hands, the
soles of their feet, and sometimes their armpits, chest or back are constantly
wet. The sympathetic nervous system, which controls involuntary responses
such as blushing, salivation and sweat production, simply fails to regulate
the temperature of the body’s extremities.
The most common therapies for hyperhidrosis include lotions, antiperspirants,
oral medications and biofeedback. While these treatments can help many
people with hyperhidrosis, they do not work for everyone and their effectiveness
can even decrease over time.
New
Treatment for Relief
Now, a minimally invasive procedure to cure hyperhidrosis and facial blushing
is available at the American
Sympathectomy Institute at
the University of Maryland Medical System. In fact, the Institute’s
faculty has been instrumental in teaching thoracoscopic surgical techniques,
and Dr. Mark Krasna, co-authored the instructional Atlas of Thoracoscopic
Surgery in 1994.
Until recently a surgical procedure had not been extensively used for
the treatment of hyperhidrosis due to the risks involved with traditional
or open surgery. However, with a new procedure known as thoracoscopic
sympathectomy, or endoscopic transthoracic sympathectomy (ETS), it is
now possible for surgeons to locate and cut the right portion of the sympathetic
chain with only very small incisions -- in fact, less than one inch on each side.
Using a fiberoptic camera and small surgical instruments, surgeons can
perform this relatively simple operation. Most patients require just an
overnight stay in the hospital and benefit from less discomfort and a
faster recovery.
Physicians at the American Sympathectomy Institute are pioneers in adapting
videoscopic techniques to chest and lung procedures and have performed
more of these procedures than any other hospital in the region. While
every surgical procedure has some degree of risk associated with it, thoracoscopic
sympathectomy, when performed by an experienced, skilled surgeon, is a
very safe procedure with minimal side effects. It is successful in over 90
percent of patients who have excessively sweaty palms. Patients awake
from anesthesia with dry and warm hands.
For those whose problem is most pronounced in the soles of their feet,
it works about 75 percent of the time, and about 50 percent of the people
treated with excessive armpit sweating get significant relief as a result
of this procedure. This surgery is not considered cosmetic, nor elective,
but medically necessary due to incapacitation of tractable sweating in
public. We encourage you to contact your individual medical plan to determine
eligibility for this procedure.
For many people, the benefits of this procedure outweigh the risks. However,
there are certain cases in which the surgery should not be performed.
If you are interested in more information regarding this videoscopic surgical
treatment for hyperhidrosis and facial blushing, we recommend that you
first discuss it with your family physician.
To learn more about the thoracoscopic sympathectomy procedure, benefits
and risks, please contact the American Sympathectomy Institute at 410-328-6366
or fax 410-328-0693.
Hyperhidrosis
Symptoms
 Thoracic
sympathectomy has been used in the treatment of palmar (hand), plantar
(foot) and axillary (armpit) hyperhidrosis, reflex sympathetic dystrophy
(RSD) and chronic abdominal pain. Thoracic sympathectomy is appropriate
for individuals with symptoms of severe, incapacitating primary hyperhidrosis
of the upper and lower extremities, especially after all the common medical
treatments have failed.
Symptoms consist of excessive sweating at the armpits, hands, groin and
feet. Symptoms are so severe that the hands, as well as the axillae, may
be dripping sweat, leading to difficulties encountered in business and
social conditions.
Results
The results of the operation are quite dramatic. Both upper and lower
extremities are warm and dry when the patient wakes up from anesthesia.
Patients are usually amazed that their hands are warm and dry for the
first time in many years. In cases when spontaneous blushing is present
the condition is also usually corrected, as is profuse sweating of the
face. We have also found that in most cases when plantar hyperhidrosis
(sweating of the soles) was present, the feet are also warm and dry. The
results are usually permanent.
Thoracoscopic
Sympathectomy at the American Sympathectomy Institute
The University of Maryland Medical Center is one of several medical centers
in the U.S. that now offers thoracoscopic sympathectomy as a treatment
for hyperhidrosis and facial blushing.
To undergo this procedure at the University of Maryland Medical Center,
you will start by having our team evaluate your condition and appropriateness
for surgical treatment. You will meet with a thoracic surgeon and nurse. If necessary,
you may also meet with a dermatologist, who will perform tests to assess the severity of your
condition, and a cardiologist, who will determine any heart problems
that might increase procedure-related risks. If you are found to be a
good candidate, you will be scheduled for surgery and undergo the procedure.
The surgery itself takes about an hour and requires an overnight stay
in the hospital. You should expect to be sitting up in a chair and walking
within hours after you awaken from general anesthesia.
Typically, you will be able to resume normal activity within a few days.
Your stitches will dissolve under the incision, so there is no need to
return to have them removed.
For more information contact the American Sympathectomy Institute at
410-328-6366 or fax 410-328-0693.
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