2Department of Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Uludag University, Bursa, Türkiye
3Clinical Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Koç University, Istanbul, Türkiye
4Department of Thoracic Surgery, Yedikule Chest Diseases and Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye DOI : 10.26663/cts.2025.021 Viewed : 8 - Downloaded : 5 Background: Compensatory hyperhidrosis (CH) is the most common complication following endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) and significantly impairs quality of life (QOL). This study assesses and compares the QOL before and after our minimal invasive intercostal nerve reconstruction technique (the “Gebitekin Technique”, GT) in CH patients.
Materials and Methods: Between January 2014 and November 2016, 32 consecutive CH patients underwent GT. Patients’ satisfaction levels and demographic parameters were self-assessed before surgery and six months postoperatively using the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) and institutional questionnaires.
Results: A total of 64 surgeries were performed in 32 patients with a mean age of 32.5 ± 6.77 years. All patients who underwent GT responded to the questionnaires. Improvement of CH symptoms was observed in 24 (75%) patients, along with improvement in dryness in 60%. None of the patients had recurrence of primary hyperhidrosis. Significant (p < 0.05) improvements were observed in all survey sub-areas following surgery.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that GT improves QOL and alleviates related symptoms in the overwhelming majority of patients with CH.
Keywords : compensatory hyperhidrosis, intercostal nerve reconstruction, survey, quality of life, Gebitekin technique