Video Assisted Thorascopic Surgery (VATS) for Sympathectomy for Hyperhidrosis

Hyperhidrosis is a disorder that causes excessive sweating of the head, face, hands, feet, underarms or in some cases the entire body. Sympathectomy is a procedure that interrupts or destroys the nerve pathways that cause involuntary responses to certain stimulus of muscles, glands or tissues. By impeding these pathways, surgeons can reduce or even eliminate the brain waves that cause excessive sweating due to perceived environmental changes.

Video assisted thorascopic surgery (VATS), allows thoracic surgeons to severe or burn portions of the sympathetic nerves along the spine in the upper chest region. By making small incisions below the armpit, your surgeon is able to insert a tiny telescopic video camera allowing him to visualize the nerves that cause excessive sweating. The patient's lung must be partially or completely collapsed to allow room for the surgical instruments. Once the surgeon has located the nerves, they can be burned or severed. Once the lung is re-expanded, the procedure can be performed on the other side of the chest.

Because VATS is a minimally invasive surgery, with small incisions, recovery is relatively short. Often no hospital stays are necessary with VATS surgery for hyperhidrosis and patients can return home after recovering from the anesthesia. Most patients are able to return to normal activities in a week to 10 days.

To find out if you are a candidate for video assisted thorascopic surgery for sympathectomy for hyperhidrosis, contact Western Cardiovascular Associates online or call us at 801-743-4750 today.