Severe compensatory hyperhidrosis following thoracic sympathectomy successfully treated with low doses of botulinum toxin A.

Compensatory hyperhidrosis is an adverse effect of thoracic sympathectomy that can be debilitating, which is why an efficient treatment is demanded. Botulinum toxin is an emerging treatment, not well known yet. We report two cases of compensatory hyperhidrosis following thoracic sympathectomy which were both treated with low doses of botulinum toxin A. The patients, a male and a female, noted a high level of satisfaction with the abolishment of sweating that was maintained up to 10 months. We consider that low doses of botulinum toxin A is a well tolerated, safe and effective treatment for compensatory hyperhidrosis and should be offered as an alternative treatment.

Primary frontal hyperhidrosis successfully treated with low doses of botulinum toxin A as a useful alternative to surgical treatment.

Frontal hyperhidrosis appears to be a special and rare form of focal hyperhidrosis. These patients may suffer greatly from the condition so an efficient treatment is highly demanded. Surgical treatment may solve this problem permanently, but the possibility of serious complications and low satisfactory results makes it less advisable than in other types of hyperhidrosis where surgery has shown great benefits. We report a case of primary frontal hyperhidrosis in a young man who refused surgery and was treated with low doses of botulinum toxin type A injected into the forehead. The patient noted a high level of satisfaction, with the abolishment of sweating and a long effect that was maintained for up to 10 months without any complications. In conclusion, we consider that low doses of botulinum toxin A is a well tolerated, safe and very effective treatment for primary frontal hyperhidrosis and it should be offered as an alternative to patients who suffer from this disorder.

Technical modifications of the orthotopic lung transplantation model in rats with brain-dead donors.

BACKGROUND: Microsurgical lung transplantation in rats has allowed us to obtain new knowledge about lung transplantation. However, some aspects in human transplantation technique still have not been included in this model, which could interfere with the clinical interpretation and extrapolation of results. METHODS: Twenty left lung transplantations were performed with a cuff technique and technical modifications, such as brain death induction, the control of ischemia time and retrograde perfusion in the donor and the controlled sequential reperfusion of the implanted lung in the recipient. RESULTS: Survival rate was 80%. The transplanted lungs showed proper perfusion and ventilation with good permeability of the anastomoses. Signs of ischemia-reperfusion injury were observed in all animals while mild acute rejection was seen in half of them. CONCLUSIONS: The model shown proves valid and is very similar to the procedure carried out in humans, which would reduce the number of possible variables derived from the surgical technique when extrapolating the study results to clinical use.