Bilateral single-port thoracoscopic sympathectomy with the VasoView® device in the treatment of palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis☆

Primary or essential hyperhidrosis is a disorder characterized by excessive sweating beyond physiological needs. It is a common disease (with an incidence of up to 2.8%) that causes intense discomfort for patients. Video-assisted thoracoscopic bilateral sympathectomy is an effective surgical treatment with high success rates and improvement in quality of life. In the last decade, the advantages of a single-port thoracoscopic approach have become clear. Problems with intraoperative bleeding management have been solved by using thoracoscopes with integrated electrocautery scissors. In this report, we describe successful transaxillary bilateral single-port thoracoscopic T2-T5 sympathectomy with the VasoView® device in three patients with palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis. The VasoView® device, with its integrated electrocautery scissors, was originally designed for endoscopic vessel harvesting in coronary artery bypass surgery, but it has proven highly effective for single-port thoracoscopic sympathectomy.