Does endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy improve the quality of life of patients with primary hyperhidrosis? A single center retrospective review [version 1; peer review: 1 approved, 1 approved with reservations]

• Published in: F1000 research 2021, Vol.10, p.43
• Main Authors: Musa, Ahmad Farouk, Hui, Khit Kar, Dillon, Jeswant, Nordin, Rusli Bin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2046-1402; 2046-1402
• DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.28106.1

Background: Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) is renowned as an effective surgical treatment for primary hyperhidrosis (PHH) and believed to improve patients' quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of patients with PHH after ETS compared to before ETS, and to determine whether compensatory sweating (CS) affects QOL of patients. Methods: This is a single-centre retrospective review of patients who had undergone ETS at the National Heart Center [Institut Jantung Negara (IJN)], Malaysia. In total, 62 patients from January 2014 to December 2018 were recruited. Medical records were first reviewed for all relevant data, prior to making telephone interview to administer the questionnaire. A modified questionnaire with validated components was used to assess the patients' QOL. Patient satisfaction, symptom resolution, recurrence and occurrence of CS were also asked during the interview. Data were analysed using IBM  SPSS Statistics 25.0. Results: A total of 46 patients (response rate: 74.2%) completed the questionnaire, with 95.7% reporting improvement in the total QOL score (Mean difference = 113.54, SD=70.79, 95% CI = 95.52 - 134.57, p