Retroperitoneoscopic lumbar sympathectomy with balloon dissection: clinical experience.

PURPOSE: To describe our technique and clinical experience of retroperitoneoscopic lumbar sympathectomy with balloon dissection.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

From 1995 to 1999, 23 procedures were performed.

RESULTS

No complications were noted. The median hospital stay was 4 days. Of the 23 attempts, 2 had to be converted to open technique. Histologic examination demonstrated interruption of the sympathetic chain in 22 of the 23 cases and absence of nervous tissue in 1.

CONCLUSIONS

Once the technique is mastered, it can be performed fast, and it offers patients the benefits of a minimally invasive approach without the inconsistent therapeutic results of chemical sympathectomy.