Thoracoscopy for autonomic disorders.

Sympathetic denervation of the arm, the hand, and the heart may now be performed using minimal thoracoscopic procedures. During a 5-year period more than 500 patients were operated on with no major and only a few minor complications. An operation time of 25 minutes, a hospital stay of 1 day, and sick leave of less than 1 week have made the operation suitable for autonomous disorders such as hyperhidrosis. Other conditions such as causalgia, vascular insufficiency, and angina pectoris may be improved or disappear after sympathectomy, but the recurrence rate in Raynaud's disease is high.