Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy as a novel strategy for vasospastic angina refractory to medical treatments.

Although vasospastic angina (VSA) is usually controlled by medications, refractory or lethal cases are occasionally encountered. We performed bilateral endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) in 5 male patients with refractory VSA. Prior to ETS, stellate ganglion blockade was performed in 4 patients to reduce VSA attacks and to confirm the effect of sympathetic blockade. Under endoscopic guidance, the second to fourth thoracic sympathetic ganglia were ablated with a YAG-laser. No patient had complications after ETS, including major sweating abnormalities. In 4 of 5 patients, ETS relieved all VSA symptoms. ST-segment elevation often detected before ETS was absent on repeated ambulatory 24-h Holter monitoring after ETS. ETS is an effective strategy for the treatment of refractory VSA.