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Thoracic Sympathectomy Procedures
What is Thoracic Sympathectomy?
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Thoracic sympathectomy is a procedure that treats hyperhidrosis, a condition that causes excessive sweating. The procedure itself treats sweating in the palms or face. Basically, thoracic sympathectomy cuts off nerve signals from the brain that tells the body to sweat beyond what is necessary.
Post-Surgical Procedure
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The surgeon advises his patient to stop taking certain drugs, such as aspirins, ibuprofen, vitamin E and warfarin days before the surgery is to be performed. These medications prevent the blood from clotting and could inhibit the success of the surgery. If the patient is a smoker, the surgeon also advises him to quit. On the night before the surgery, the patient refrains from eating or drinking before midnight and takes drugs his doctor has prescribed to him.
Thoracic Sympathetic Procedure
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Before the surgery, the patient is given a general anesthesia. After the patient is under anesthesia, the surgeon makes 2 or 3 small incisions under her arm. On the side in which these incisions are made, the surgeon deflates the patient's lung, causing it to collapse. This is done to prevent air from moving out of the patient's body during surgery and to allow the surgeon more room to perform the surgical procedure. The surgeon inserts an endoscope, which is a tiny camera, into the patient. The endoscope is attached to a monitor set up in the operating room. The surgeon uses the monitor as a guide throughout the surgical procedure. Once the surgeon locates the nerves controlling sweating, she cuts or destroys them. After the surgeon inflates the patient's lung and closes the incisions with sutures, she begins the same procedure again on the other side of the patient's body. The entire procedure is performed in 1 hour.
eHow Article: Thoracic Sympathectomy Procedures
