Simpaticectomia Toracica Videotoracoscopica: primi risultati dell'esperienza divisionale

Thoracic Sympathectomy, although currently less frequently performed, has nevertheless some well defined indications, such as primary hyperhidrosis of the upper extremity. Videothoracoscopic method is also particularly appealing in these procedures for its less invasive approach, allowing a favourable operative view. Materials and Methods - In order to define the indications and to analyze the results, based on literature data and personal experience, we have examined the advantages and limits of Videothoracoscopic Sympathectomy Procedure. Our experience is consistent with 14 procedures in 7 patients; in all cases we used three intercostal thoracoports through which, with 5 o 10 mm optic, we performed a sub-pleural resection of the sympathetic chain selected segment. Discussion and Conclusions - In our initial experience we obtained good clinical results as compared to those reported in literature. Nowadays we consider the thoracoscopic approach as the first choice when performing thoracic sympathectomy.