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Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1985; 33(3): 181-187
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-1014113
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Thoracic Sympathectomy as a Therapy for Upper Extremity Ischemia. A Long-term Follow-up Study

H. J. C. M. van de Wal, S. H. Skotnicki, P. F.F. Wijn, L. K. Lacquet
  • Institute of Thoracic, Cardiac and Vascular Surgery, Sint Radboud University Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Publication History

1985

Publication Date:
29 May 2008 (online)

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Summary

Fifty-seven patients who had 72 thoracic sympathectomies have been reviewed. Twenty-five patients were preoperatively diagnosed as having primary Raynaud's phenomenon, 14 as having Raynaud's phenomenon secondary to arterial occlusion, 17 as having ischemia secondary to arterial occlusion and one as having hyperhidrosis.

Twenty percent of the patients initially diagnosed as having primary Raynaud's phenomenon at the time of operation developed a collagenosis during the follow-up period.

Improvement after 8 years' follow-up did not depend on the primary indication. Up to the fifth year after surgery a relapse was seen in cases of primary Raynaud's phenomenon. In secondary Raynaud's phenomenon a gradual decrease in improvement of 2% a year was seen during follow-up. In ischemia secondary to arterial occlusion, after 2 years the percentage of improved patients remained constant at a level of 70%. The mean improvement after 8 years follow-up according to the survival test of Gehan was 70 ± 10%.

Key words

Thoracic sympathectomy - Raynaud's phenomenon - Ischemia - Long-term follow-up

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